I have had lots of questioning emails and phone calls this month asking me “What’s up with this Babble thing?” The truth is that I have been so busy being ill and taking care of sick kids and moving house and grieving over my grandma that I haven’t taken the opportunity to blog about my new gig with Babble! I am so excited to be a regular addition to their site. I even have my very own little blog space over there. It is filling up quickly with stories about my experiences raising kids in Africa, being a parent and my attempts at living out my best life. Please hop over and let me know you were there. I feel all lonely and new over there!
Today I am babbling about taking great kid photos AND YOU DON’T NEED A FANCY CAMERA to follow my tips! This is for pro photographers and point-and-shooters alike.
5 Tips For Taking Great Kid Photos
Alright tired and overworked parents, I’m here to convince you that photographing your kids is fun and simple as well as IMPORTANT. Let’s re-think the reason you take that camera out. It’s not for a quick Facebook or Instagram update (although I’m not poo-pooing that)… it’s for your family. Documenting moments in time is a key component of our humanity. If we don’t record these moments, no-one else will. Documenting what’s happening NOW means recording a unique and important part of your child’s journey on this earth. It’s important for them, for their kids, for their grandkids and for generations beyond that. You see? This is a great big wonderful task. Here’s how to get clicking!
Trick-or-Treating? Not My Kids.
My kids have never ever in their lives participated in the American tradition of trick-or-treating. As expats living in Africa, October is just not a real hot month to make a return to the USA. We have thought about recreating a mini-Halloween for them in Africa, but really… I’m not that awesome. When I asked my 6 year old at the breakfast table today what he thought Halloween was he said, “Oh, I saw that in a movie. That’s when all the kids dress up and then they get candy.” I responded with, “Yeah, that’s right. Did you know that’s not a made up story? Some kids actually get to do that in real life.” To which he responded, “What? They do? Can I meet them?”
Did I just say ménage à trois? I did, didn’t I.
A little over a year ago we moved into the heart of Africa to begin living out a coffee-covered dream. Its been an adventure, and along the way we’ve been working to help the coffee farmers of Burundi get a fairer price for their coffee beans. Our boys were 4 and 1.5 when we made the big move to Burundi. We got off to a pretty rocky start learning how to live here. So rocky, in fact, that actual rocks were thrown through windows by my 4 year old. That same kid belted “I hate you” down the hall on a daily basis. Meltdowns were a daily occurrence, usually I was the first to collapse in a heap of tears on the bathroom floor wondering, “What are we doing HERE?”
I read the article, I think you did an amazing job explaining it to both amateurs and beginners.
Especially the part about not saying cheese ;o)