In focus

A family portrait

I haven’t abandoned the blog. It’s been a crazy kick off to the year. The husband got promoted, the bug got croup and the bear got an adenoidectomy. The longer hours for the husband and the recovery times for the kids mean I got busy.

We had wonderful holidays. Right before Christmas a blizzard hit and just like that we got our white Christmas despite the drought. Prior to that had been so mild and dry that I was wondering if winter was going to appear at all. But turns out that mild and dry spell was good for one reason.

During Bug’s party my mother in law said all she wanted for Christmas was a family portrait from us. We had one family shot taken when the bear was 3 months old. It was at a box studio and frankly it was horrible. Being the type of photographer I am, I hate the standard back drop studios. I am seeing a lot of original studio work these days I love and plan on modeling my own studio after but my favorite backdrop is nature.

So I hit the park near our home, staged the shot, metered and blocked and then enlisted the help of someone familiar with my camera to hit the shutter. The result is something I love. The smiles aren’t forced. The heads aren’t exactly positioned. We are in sweaters and jackets. Our hair (those of us that have it) is a little wind swept.

We look like us.

We don’t look like we have been squished into a tiny room under the glare of lights, forced to sit on uncomfortable chairs and hold the kids who want to be anywhere but there. My kids love being outside. They love breathing room and sunshine and the camera loves it too.

Additionally, I was excited to give something so personally from me. I chose the spot and processed the photo and the framed the prints. This was truly a gift from the heart because that is what I poured into the project.

The focus of the year

I have nicknamed this the year of “compassion and gratitude” because that is what I want our family to focus on the most this year. I want to start instilling in the kids a sense of gratitude for what they have and receive. I also want to start teaching them compassion by introducing them to the idea that not all kids have the life they do.

Don’t get me wrong. We are middle class and we struggle sometimes. We go without vacations and the newest television or computer. We buy as much used as we can. But the basics are there and our kids are provided for including their entertainment and toys.

I was thinking about this the weeks leading up to 2013 and something that struck me was how many times a day I would overhear someone say or see someone post how excited they were that 2012 was ending and 2013 beginning because 2012 had been a rough year. So instead of deciding to make year of compassion and gratitude just about teaching my kids something, I am making this a family thing.

Because I truly believe that if we practice gratitude and compassion we will find ourselves moving into each new year with a bit more optimism. We might know what we lost the year before but we will have also kept a running list of what we gained by practicing gratitude. And we will know we are blessed when we reach out to those less fortunate than us in our practice of compassion.

Two quotes for today:

Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world.
John Milton

 

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.
Dalai Lama