Ry's 3 Year Photo Shoot

Well, my first photo shoot is over...and it was interesting.  Photographing an almost 3 year old is tough work!!  She wouldn't give me a real smile and had ZERO interest in looking at the camera.  So, my quest for a good picture of her looking straight at the camera and giving me her beautiful real smile was defeated...BUT, I still got some decent ones of her none the less.  I was so nervous about this shoot.  I have been playing with my camera for a few months now and felt pretty good about my settings.  I had also gone out a few nights prior and took some photos of the locations I had in mind to get an idea of the settings I would need to use according to the lighting at that time of evening.  I waited until a day that was warm enough for Rylee to wear her dress and not windy or too wet.  When that day arrived I mustered up the courage to say "lets do this!" and off we went. 

Rylee, who dislikes wearing dresses, put on the outfit I wanted her to wear and told me she felt like a princess.  I thought for sure this was a good sign that the shoot would go well!  She was excited to go with me (since it included a Gator ride to the location) and I was super excited to get started...and get it over with.  The first 8 minutes or so went well and she did everything I asked (accept give me a real smile or look at the camera).  These 8 minutes were all in the same spot.  When I told her it was time to go to a new spot, she asked if we could go home....bummer.  But I got another 35 minutes out of her and I could tell she disliked every minute of it, but she never once complained!  She asked if we could be done and go home and also told me she was ready for her treat that I promised her..."just a few more pictures," is what I kept telling her, and she humored me each time.  I did deliver on my promise....with a bowl of ice cream and sprinkles as soon as we got back home.

I took a couple hundred pictures and after weeding through them I have about 60 left that are decent...and about 10 that I really like a lot!  I was just hoping for one good one, and even though I didn't get the exact one I was hoping for, I am happy with the results!  I just got my photo editing software and was going to wait to show some of my favs with you until I got them edited...but, I'm pretty sure my first editing experience will inspire a whole other blog post.  So, without further ado, here are some of my favs from our shoot, unedited. 

I learned quite a few things from the experience, regarding my camera settings, things to watch for in the background, composition items to watch, ways to use the evening sun to make the lighting just right, etc.  The most important thing I learned though is that you can't ask a small child to do anything you want them to do, because the picture really turns out "fake".  The best way to photograph a child is by letting them do their own thing and taking pictures as they do it.  The most genuine faces I captured of her were when she was ignoring my requests to smile and look at the camera and just being herself.  I already promised her I will never ask her to look at the camera and smile again. 

I also learned afterwards from my fashionista husband that, "Rylee needed a belt...that's what they would have done on The Devil Wears Prada."  Thanks honey...we will be sure to get your advice FIRST next time :)