First Day of School
The grandkids had their first day of school yesterday!
I can't help but think about all they've already experienced in their first four years, all the photos I've shot of them since their birth (I must have thousands upon thousands of photos of them) and the staggering number of years of schooling they have ahead of them... eek... that is a frightening number!
I knew I wanted to get some photos of this day and, as with any big event, I happened to have a few specific ideas in mind before the day even arrived.
I knew I did not want the typical awkward snapshots of kids standing stiff as boards, awkwardly still, as a parent shoots a snapshot. I did not want the usual nonsense of kids standing at the front door of the house wishing they were anywhere else other than in front of a camera with that bored deer-in-the-headlights look on their faces. I wanted the grandkids to be natural and animated... I wanted to capture their laughter as they told us about their first day of school. I think I succeeded in getting some nice shots of them.
I also thought it would be a good idea to get some video of them getting off the bus. Realistically, I knew this would be iffy, at best. They could be exhausted or even a bit cranky. So many things could go wrong but I decided to attempt shooting some video too anyway.
I planned out how to accomplish shooting video while also shooting still photos. I'm fairly certain I cannot be in two places at the same time so I set up a tripod with a second camera... I used a wide angle lens for the video camera to ensure I get the door of the bus in the frame... we heard the bus approaching... I started video recording... checked that it was pointed in the right direction... ensured Sheila was standing where we needed the bus to stop (with this wide angle lens I was using, I had about 15 feet of leeway before Sheila and 15 feet after Sheila... that should have been more than enough, right?)... then headed to my pre-planned area for shooting still photos...
Unfortunately, the bus driver stopped the bus long before he reached Sheila which means I got no video of the kids getting off the bus. He had stopped just slightly out of frame... bummer.
At first we thought the new bus driver just hit us with typical unpredictability but we later found out that Lukey excitedly jumped up out of his seat too soon because he saw Gee out the window waiting for them to arrive... for safety reasons, the driver then had to stop the bus because Lukey was no longer seated. Oh well, no video... it was a good idea though.
Lukey and Kenzie then excitedly told us about their day... as expected, I think the highlights were riding on the bus, taking a nap in school, and playing in the playground and the treehouse. I got a few nice shots of them telling us about their day and I don't think they look bored, stiff, nor have that deer-in-the-headlights look on their faces!
We had a campfire in the yard as I smoked chicken pieces and grilled some burgers on our grill... the kids watered the flower gardens... Lukey ran some of Papa's trains as well as his own trains... Kenzie played with her baby doll...
Oh yeah... Lukey and Kenzie had a package to open when they arrived! Lukey got some new sneakers and Kenzie got a new dress thanks to Gee.
When Mommy arrived, we ate dinner and then had some ice cream for dessert. All in all, it was a really nice day... beautiful weather... and the kids enjoyed their first day of school!
I can't help but think about all they've already experienced in their first four years, all the photos I've shot of them since their birth (I must have thousands upon thousands of photos of them) and the staggering number of years of schooling they have ahead of them... eek... that is a frightening number!
I knew I wanted to get some photos of this day and, as with any big event, I happened to have a few specific ideas in mind before the day even arrived.
I knew I did not want the typical awkward snapshots of kids standing stiff as boards, awkwardly still, as a parent shoots a snapshot. I did not want the usual nonsense of kids standing at the front door of the house wishing they were anywhere else other than in front of a camera with that bored deer-in-the-headlights look on their faces. I wanted the grandkids to be natural and animated... I wanted to capture their laughter as they told us about their first day of school. I think I succeeded in getting some nice shots of them.
I planned out how to accomplish shooting video while also shooting still photos. I'm fairly certain I cannot be in two places at the same time so I set up a tripod with a second camera... I used a wide angle lens for the video camera to ensure I get the door of the bus in the frame... we heard the bus approaching... I started video recording... checked that it was pointed in the right direction... ensured Sheila was standing where we needed the bus to stop (with this wide angle lens I was using, I had about 15 feet of leeway before Sheila and 15 feet after Sheila... that should have been more than enough, right?)... then headed to my pre-planned area for shooting still photos...
Unfortunately, the bus driver stopped the bus long before he reached Sheila which means I got no video of the kids getting off the bus. He had stopped just slightly out of frame... bummer.
At first we thought the new bus driver just hit us with typical unpredictability but we later found out that Lukey excitedly jumped up out of his seat too soon because he saw Gee out the window waiting for them to arrive... for safety reasons, the driver then had to stop the bus because Lukey was no longer seated. Oh well, no video... it was a good idea though.
Lukey and Kenzie then excitedly told us about their day... as expected, I think the highlights were riding on the bus, taking a nap in school, and playing in the playground and the treehouse. I got a few nice shots of them telling us about their day and I don't think they look bored, stiff, nor have that deer-in-the-headlights look on their faces!
We had a campfire in the yard as I smoked chicken pieces and grilled some burgers on our grill... the kids watered the flower gardens... Lukey ran some of Papa's trains as well as his own trains... Kenzie played with her baby doll...
Oh yeah... Lukey and Kenzie had a package to open when they arrived! Lukey got some new sneakers and Kenzie got a new dress thanks to Gee.
When Mommy arrived, we ate dinner and then had some ice cream for dessert. All in all, it was a really nice day... beautiful weather... and the kids enjoyed their first day of school!
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| I've captured a similar look as this on Lukey many times over the years... sort of a pensive look... but also the look of an old soul... the eyes of experience in a young body... |
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| I need to teach her to flip her hair from her eyes when posing... |
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