the bobbiblogg

Tuesday, April 19th I had the best time. Went on a photo shoot with Ayley, Hannah & my mom. (Sadie did not want to come and she was sorely missed) The photographer does this every year; 30 people in 30 days. No charge. You make a donation to the women's shelter in provo/orem area. He has an exhibit for these 30 days worth of pictures. They are all black & white. He did separte shots of Ayley, Hannah, my mom and me. Then some of Ayley and I, Hannah and I, my mom & I, Ayley & Hannah, & any other combinations he could come up with. He had a great way of making you comfortable. Remember how it was when you were having your school picture taken and you felt self conscious and awkward? Not because you were self conscious and awkward, but because the photographer had a job to do en mass and had only one or two unnatural positions to put you in. Stiff. Static. Dare I say mannequin? This was actually fun. He made us all feel important and beautiful. Even my mother, who historically and without fail, will protest and consistently claim she has never taken a good picture in her life. (by the way, not true, I have a wedding album of hers to prove it and a lovely picture on my mantle of her which is very Audrey Hepburn-esque.) So I guess my point is that this was a big deal. Anyone who can get my mother to feel comfortable enough to confidently cooperate in getting her picture taken is nothing short of amazing. I am really looking forward to seeing how those feelings translate to black & white images on flat photo paper. Because let's face it, not everyone can do it. When we first started taking the pictures he asked Ayley if she had practiced that look before she got there, which she instantly denied. After he reply I began thinking about how my girls are always taking pictures of themselves, each other, friends, stray dogs or cats and so on, with some form of digital photographic device. These pictures are instantly displayed and can be immediately saved, deleted or sent depending on how satisfied the person of said photo is with the outcome. So, I believe, that because of these many, many trial and error self photo-sessions, that her reply may not have been completely true. My girls know just how to look into the lens, tilt their head, gaze away dreamily, pensive and otherwise "pose" for the shot and have become photogenic because of it. (not that they weren't before, just more so with this "practice") Their pictures contain fun and humor, beauty, charm, warmth, creativity and show their understanding and sometimes, their definition of these people and other subject matter. It is very personal to me, and I feel honored to be let into their view of the world around them. Too sappy? Too bad! I'm a proud mother and you can't fault me for that. I've tried very hard to provide different creative outlets for my kids and have also made sure that they knew and still know that every creative effort is valid, unique and worthy in it's own way. "Never compare your art to someone else's, it's apples and oranges!" Anyway... I digress. Where was I? Right...the photo shoot. It was also interesting to see the love they have for one another come out in such a way that you could feel it in the room. It was a lovely, gentle, warm, quiet and peaceful feeling, much the way I imagine Heaven to feel with them. It was a beautiful 60 minutes that I will never forget. Being with my mother as well was bittersweet. I know the shell of her will be in those pictures, but the person she once was is slipping away and I hope some of the woman she has been will be captured. If not, I will always have those 60 incredible minutes frozen in time, to put in a frame and place in an area of distinction so that I may be able to remember how I felt, how they were, how she was...