holidays

Tips for a Successful Holiday Photoshoot with a Toddler

~ The Clarks ~ Leave a comment

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Taking cute Christmas pictures with a toddler was definitely way more challenging than getting cute pictures of a non-walker last year! Here are some tips to take your own toddler’s pictures at home this holiday season.

 

1. Timing

Toddlers can be so temperamental. Take advantage of their happiest time of the day. For these photos we did them first thing in the morning, right after he had eaten breakfast.

 

2. Lighting

Use as much natural light as possible and avoid using the flash.

 

3. Plan but be flexible.

Plan in a sense that everything is readily available. Be flexible. Let your child guide the photoshoot. In my mind I really wanted pictures with lights, just like the year before. Well, after telling him the lights on the tree are hot, he wanted nothing to do with the lights! Luckily I had a basket filled with ornaments on the table. He loved playing “basketball” with the ornaments.  dsc_0019

4. Use wrapping paper as a backdrop.

Each year at the end of the season I buy wrapping paper when it’s on sale. It is a cheap way to get a festive background.

5. You have a toddler, it won’t go as planned

Here are some outtakes from our little photoshoot. They make me laugh. This is life with a toddler. I was patient and still captured the pictures I was hoping for, I especially love the one with our cat, his little buddy.

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Be patient, make it fun.

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Our Anniversary Will Be Awesome Every Year

~ The Clarks ~ Leave a comment

When you are planning your wedding you put thought into each and every decision. Being a teacher, I knew that summer would be the best time for us to say “I do”. When word started to get out that we were planning a 4th of July wedding on a Wednesday some people thought we were nuts. Some family even suggested that we change it. We weren’t nuts and we weren’t trying to wreck your 4th of July plans. We were trying to have a fun, memorable wedding that would be special to us year after year. 4 years later, we have been successful at achieving that. 

Our anniversary is awesome because we always know what we are going to do. There is no planning. There is no forgetting. There are no expensive trips or fancy dinners. Every year we do the same thing. We watch fireworks, and it never gets old. 

Our anniversary is awesome because we get to spend it together with family and friends every year. 

Our anniversary is awesome because it doesn’t matter what day of he week it falls on. It will always be a holiday. 

Our anniversary is awesome because neither of us ever have to cook a full meal. We picnic with friends and family and only have to bring a dish to pass. 

If you are planning a wedding, I encourage you to choose a date that you want. Don’t worry about what other people think or want. It is a day you will be celebrating forever. Make it great.