For the past few years I’ve been following along with a photo project at Practising Simplicity.
She’s a mom, writer, and photographer living in Australia. She’s either a professional photographer or just a really, really good photographer, and takes an “unportrait” of her kids every week. The goal is to capture them just as they are in the moment — caught up in play, imagination, creation. In childhood.
She isn’t continuing the project this year, which is a bummer because I’d decided to follow along in earnest. (I keep looking for the post where she announced she wasn’t doing it anymore but I can’t find it. So maybe I’m wrong and I just mis-read while scrolling through my blog reader in the middle of the night…)
Even though she isn’t going to continue, I’m going to do it anyway. A portrait of my kids, once a week, every week, in 2016.
We’ll see what happens. I might get behind on posting, or I might not have a picture of all three kids each week. It might be a ton of work. Or it might be great.
My hope is to use my camera more, to learn more about photography, light, composure. Mostly, I want to make sure I’m consistently taking pictures of each of my kids. When you have a baby it’s easy to take pictures of the baby even though your big kids are growing and changing just as quickly.
If there’s interest, and if I can figure it out, I’ll also include a link-up for anyone who wants to post something similar and leave a link to their blog. I’ll start the year Sunday, January 3.
Until then, a few photos at the art table, where there happens to be great light almost any time of day.
David — the hardest to capture, because he knows I care about the shot, so he responds with a silly face. I suppose I should just accept that the silly face is the capture.
Mary Virginia — With tousled hair and marker on her forearms. Precocious, moody, delightful and completely two; always talking, watching, wondering.
Thomas — All he wants is a safe place to play, you guys. Please, please leave the baby alone.
I’ve been toying with a one a week photo too! I tried an everyday picture a few years ago. I lasted a month (which, let’s be honest, was longer than I expected to last). But one a week seems totally doable. I’m in! (I don’t need a link-up or anything… Though I suppose that would remind me to take the picture).
nice! i hope you’ll link-up. i love seeing what other ppl come up with!
I was sad to see Jodi felt it had run its course with her too – I only joined in for the first time this year and I love both the pictures and the awareness I have of how I’m using my camera because I record the shot details alongside so I’m in; yay for weekly portraits and hopefully lots of lovely light in which to take them!
ok, so i wasn’t imagining things. i don’t know why i can’t find the announcement! sleep deprivation 🙂 i’m glad you’re in! and i agree, i like to see the shot details (for my pics and others’, too!)
I’ve been joining Jodi for 2 years with the 52 project and I was so sad to hear she was stopping (yeah you definitely read it, I think on one of her 52 posts, 50/52?). It’s not as hard as you’d think to get a shot of each of your three each week, you should totally do it!!
i found it! 49/52. http://www.practisingsimplicity.com/2015/12/4952.html
Bluebird was doing this and I loved it. It would be nice to do it with slightly older kids. I’m looking forward to seeing your pictures!
yeah! i saw bleubird’s series, too! she was also inspired by jodi at practising simplicity (here’s her first post: http://bleubirdblog.com/2013/01/0152/)
i actually thought of you as someone who could knock this out of the park. one reason i wanted to do it is that i took a TON of pics of david when he was a baby, but i rarely do anymore. but at age 4 he’s growing so much, too! we’ll see how this goes 😉
Hahahaha! Yeah I probably could knock this out of the park, but they would look the same; whereas your kids have so much personality! It’s great seeing your pictures! I don’t know, I probably just need to think more outside of the box.
you should look at jodi’s captures of her little one (just maybe 2 months older than our guys?) she did such a beautiful job photographing him. i agree “unportraits” of the little ones are tougher.
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