The best model...

Today was beautiful and Harper and I needed to get out of the house. With things still being on lock down at least mostly, our options are limited. I decided to do a photoshoot. I curled Harper's hair, let her use a littler mascara, she put on some lip gloss... and out we went. While we went to a few spots around town, the only photos that came out decent were the ones I did right in the yard.

I know I still have so much to learn with my camera and how to make the camera do more of the work for me. I have joined a few Facebook groups and one of them really gives me a lot of help and constructive criticism. I got some tips today on things to focus on learning and that will really help.

When I posted some of my pictures today on Instagram and shared it to Facebook I got some really amazing feedback but truly, I was working with the most adorable model. Sure, I am biased, but either way! The thing about doing your first session with your own 4 year old daughter is that you get all the raw emotions. The laughter, the anger, and annoyance, the joy, and the sass. Oh, the sass.

The deal was I got to take some photos with her hair the way I wanted it and then she got to put on her Rapunzel braid. If there is anything I know about being the mom of a 4 year old... it is that if I can't go with the flow, no one is going to be happy. And compromise seems to be the key to everything. While Harper didn't stay any more still once the braid went on, she certainly was having more fun! You do you, kid.

Of all the compliments I received, the two most flattering were when a friend of mine asked if she could commission me to photograph her kids and when another friend asked if she could paint one of the pictures. How cool is that? I have a lot of practicing and learning to do before my photoshoot, but I am so happy to have another opportunity to learn and practice. As for the painting, I can not wait to see how it comes out. This is the photo she is painting.

Tomorrow I will be working on more lessons and learning as much as I can. I also did my first editing today so I will be learning more with that as time goes on!

Here are a few pictures that did not make the cut but also show a lot of Harper's personality!

It isn't all pretty!