Letters to My Daughters | March 2013

​This is my second Letters to My Daughters post and I am so thankful again to be part of this wonderful group of talented women. I loved reading all the letters last month (my first post can be found HERE) and seeing the gorgeous photographs to go along with them and I can't wait to read them this month. This is such a wonderfully moving experience. After reading my letter, please continue along the circle and read what Aimee McNamee in Richmond, VA had to say HERE and stick around and check out the rest of her gorgeous photography. Her eye for lifestyle photography will leave you in awe.

Dear Drew,​

It's hard to put into words how I feel about you. My first little girl born. You were the perfect little 8 lb newborn, with beautiful big blue eyes, the most perfect lips, blonde curls and the world's best demeanor. I had the hardest time not staring at you all day long. Friends and nurses told me to nap, but how could I when I had you there? I was so proud to be your Mom. I literally cried every time you would turn a month older because I wanted you to remain that way forever. This keeps happening even today. Right now is perfect. Just stay the same way! I somehow keep wanting each stage to last forever. The good news is I know how much fun there is ahead and I can't wait to experience it all with you.

You are the soulful one in our family. You never miss a beat or an expression or look. You take it ALL in. Your teachers often tell us how you have a hard time at lunch because you are so consumed with your friends or those around you and what they are saying and doing. You stop what you are doing and listen (and then of course you join in). You want to learn and see everything and my dear, you will! But, please eat your whole lunch!

Drew, you are so beautiful and you are literally growing before our eyes as your clothes are no longer fitting and you are wearing a size 8 when you are only 5! You are going to be taller than me one day and I have to brace myself for that. You are such a kind, gentle, nurturing soul who wants to help others. You want to be a veterinarian one day so you can take care of animals (all animals except a tarantula- and I don't blame you!) or a doctor to take care of children and, most importantly- a Mom. It's been wonderful growing up in New York City with the diversity around us. I know this is partly where your dreams are coming from. Walking to or from school, we see just about every ethnicity, race, color or handicap and you take it all in and observe. If someone is hurt or walks with a limp, your first words are always "aww, I feel really badly for that [man]." That happened this afternoon. I hope that never changes because I know you will help to make someone like that better one day.  And just like I used to stare at you as a baby, I do so more now. You take my breath away each and every day. I still have a hard time believing you are actually mine. I don't know how we all got so lucky.

​I love you always.

Mama

Photo 52: A Play on Light (Week 27: Artificial Source of Light)

Here is week 27 of our play on light with artificial light. I promise to try my flash for one of these weeks, but I just haven't been happy with my results yet. Instead, I chose this shot of the girls in a dark room at night, using the light of a night-light to light my shot. The girls had fun with this shot. Please continue along the circle and see what my friend Julie Mak, our newest addition to the circle, chose for her shot this week HERE.

Reading by night-light

Photo 52: A Play on Light (Week 26: Artificial Source of Light)

This is officially the half-way mark for our Photo 52 bog circle: Week 26! Wow, can't believe it. This month, we are focusing on artificial sources of light. That means, light that is not natural sun light. This can include a range of light sources including house lamps, flash on your camera or off your camera, street lamps, ​ipads, candles, flashlights, etc. This is going to be a fun month. I took a nighttime/long exposure class in Central Park over the weekend and while I really need to keep practicing, it was fun to play around. Here are some of my favorites, using street lamps and other city lights as my main source of light. To continue along the circle, please click HERE to see what my friend Lisa Rigazio chose as her artificial source of light.

365 Days (57-61) February 26- March 2, 2013

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At Drew's photo shoot for her class project

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Gabba-made pillow and blanket and her new favorite book

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So happy to be swinging again!

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Grand Central through a lensbaby

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Grand Central

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First time on her balance bike!

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Quite pleased with herself.

Photo 52: A Play on Light (Week 25: Seeing Light in Black and White)

Week 25 of our Play on Light circle. I was inspired by a few "snow princess" photos I came across with little girls dressed up and outside in the snow. Unfortunately it was freezing on Cape Cod and my little shoot only lasted a few minutes, but Harper was super excited about the idea of wearing a tiara and being a "snow princess." She put on her flower girl dress from the summer and I wrapped her up and was happy to have captured a few shots. Here is our Snow Princess:

​Snow Princess

Princess and her loyal dog

Please continue along the circle and see what my talented friend and Brooklynite Kelly R. Patton of K. Rox Photography chose for her take on black and white HERE

Letters to My Daughters | February 2013

 "Daughters hold our hands for a little while, but our hearts forever." 

I am thrilled and honored to share that I am part of a small group of photographers and mothers participating in a photo project called “Letters to My Daughters.”  Each month we will be blogging photos and a letter to our little girls. Just like my Photo 52 circle, I will link to another photographer in the group each month. These women are all incredibly talented and while we may be at different stages in our journeys as mothers, at the end of the day, we all feel the same way about our children and I am so excited to see what they write as well. 

I have thought about what to write for weeks and still can't come up with the right words so bear with me. Some people are so good about keeping journals and thoughts about their kids but I could barely keep my baby books up to date. This project is going to force me to finally write my thoughts on "paper." There is so much I want to tell my daughters and I want written and photographic memories for them to have. I *think* I am pretty good with the photos part at this point <wink> but it will be nice for my girls to have words to go along with some of them. And the greatest part is that these are all keepsakes that hopefully my girls will cherish and hold dear for years to come.

Dear Drew and Harper,

I have so many dreams for you. You are only 3.5 and 5 and you have the world ahead of you. You are each so individual.

Drew, Drewie, Drewie Patootie, Drew Magoo you are the epitome of a Momma's girl, still crying when I leave you in the middle of the day after a field trip with your class or when I even mention the thought of a babysitter staying with you. When I ask what you think of when you think of me, you tell me "I just miss you when I am at school and want to be with you." You know the way to my heart, but I also know it's partly drama! You received your first Kindergarten "report card" last week and were told you were a leader in the class. We are so proud of the little person you are becoming. I love you for your sense of humor, I love how you try to make your teachers and friends laugh, I love you for your artistic ability that in no way came from me, I love how you always leave little drawings around the house and love notes for me or your Dad, I love you for your big blue eyes and beautiful curly hair that I know you don't like, but I promise you will one day, I love you for your confidence, passion, your sensitivity, your maternal instincs, your athleticsm, your 99% in height and weight, I love you for your serious side and how you take everything in that you see, I love you for holding my hand on the way to school and back every day, I love you for how much you adore your cousins and I love you for your wanting to have 14 babies one day and wanting me to help you with them, I love you for falling sleep in our car on 95% of trips, I love you for having a boy tell you he had a crush on your and was in love with you already... okay that part I didn't love so much, but I love you for all that you are and will be. 

Harper, Harps, Harper Darper, Darper-Do, Pumps, my little drama queen, pip squeak who is about as big as a minute, you are something else. You make us laugh daily with your phrases, your sayings, your stories and your dreams. I love you for your persistence and your routines and habits that you cannot break, I love you for only wearing a skirt or dress every.single.day for the past year, I love you for wanting to hold my hand all the time, I love you for the balance you strike between being our independent one who likes to walk to school and yet you still hide behind my leg when someone you know says hi to you outside of your comfort zone, I love you for how you want to sit in my lap and cuddle at every possible moment, I love you for yanking out my elastic in my hair and making me swish my hair around like I am a Vidal Sasoon model because I look prettier with my hair down, I love you for loving princesses and long dresses and adoring your ballet class, I love you for wanting me to wear high heels and silk shirts because I look nicer, I love you for being 1000% girl, I love you for wanting to do everything your big sister does. I love you more than you will ever know.

Drewie and Harps, I love you more than you could ever imagine possible. Every day I look at you and am so thankful that you are who you are. I want to just drink up every last bit of you and remember you for who you are today. I am so envious that you have each other as I have always wanted a sister and one day you will believe me when I tell you that you will have a best friend for life. The sibling relationship is life's longest and it should never be taken for granted. We are on this journey together and I can't wait to see where our adventure takes us next. You are two of the best travelers in the world, thanks to all your frequent flier miles. These photos were taken during golden hour on the last night we were in Sanibel Island in December. I thought these captured your personalities quite well.

I love you forever and will always hold your hand,

Momma xoxo


Please continue along the blog circle and see what my talented friend Sherri Davis wrote in her "Letters to My Daughters" HERE. 

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Photo 52: A Play on Light (Week 23: Seeing Light in Black & White)

This is week 23 of our play on light and our second week focusing on seeing light in black and white. I have to admit that I have been envisioning a photo like this since the beginning of winter and have been waiting for there to be enough snow to make it right. Today was the day! After 11.4 inches fell in Central Park and before I took the kids out for sledding, snowman-building, hot chocolate, lunch and a manicure, I snuck out and spent some time in Central Park alone. I recently purchased a creative lens called a Lensbaby, which is a selective focus lens with a ball and socket configuration so I can choose what I want to focus on with the rest of the image in a blur so to speak. This was actually the first shot I took with the lens and one of my favorites of the day. I envisioned this in black and white long before I took it.

Poet's Walk, Central Park

Now, please take a look at what my talented friend and mother of four beautiful boys, Kennedy Tinsley chose for this week HERE

Photo 52: A Play on Light (Week 22: Seeing Light in Black and White)

This is week 22 of our play on light blog circle and this week we are focusing on "seeing" light in black and white when we shoot.  Color plays an important role in how we perceive the world around us. However, color can also be terribly distracting in some images and can take the focus away from the subject. But when you decide to shoot a photograph in black and white, it drastically changes what’s in front of the lens. Taking color out of an image can let the subject speak for themselves. In portraits, landscapes and street photography for example, the photo becomes more raw and stripped down. It's more honest and allows the true person or scene to show through without color distracting them.

Being able to 'see' how your final shot will look is a key skill that I am trying to work on. A few key tips I have learned to make better black and white photos is to focus on       1) contrast shape and form: it's important to look for subjects that feature simple, strong lines and shapes. Shadows define shape and form so it's also important to look for areas of darkness as well as light ; 2) tone: B&W photos include a range of greys which add subtlety to images. Looking for subjects that will translate into a range of tones from black to white is advised but you can also get good results from subjects that are mostly light or dark. Try to get your subject to stand out (lighter or darker than the background). You need to look for contrast. What is perfect for a colored photograph, can often have a negative impact on a black and white landscape; 3) texture and detail: fine details (wrinkles on a very old man or woman), strong textures (foliage, clouds, antiques) and other elements (air and water) can give nice depth and interest. Strong side lighting also helps bring out textures in a subject.; 4) light, as always makes or breaks the photo and when you have light and shadows, you also have contrast and different tones. Directional light (light hitting the subject at an angle) will give your image greater depth.

Here is my take for this week. We had just come home from Capezio buying Harper her first ever ballet shoes and leotard/tutu in preparation for her first pre-ballet class in a few days. She wore the shoes home from the store and was on cloud nine:

Brand new ballet shoes

Please visit my talented friend Kelly Roth Patton's take on seeing light in black and white HERE .

Photo 52: A Play on Light (Week 21: Indoor Natural Light)

Our final week of indoor natural light and week 21 of our play on light circle. Harper takes a class at the American Museum of Natural History almost every week throughout the year, focusing on a different topic every week and the kids go on a safari though the museum with their flashlights and vests on and come back to the classroom to participate in a project focused on the topic of the week. We studied the Earth this week :) I have been thinking about taking some photos in this hallway of glass on the second floor for awhile now and was happy to finally have some extra time to play in it. Here is my take on our final week of indoor natural light:

Please continue through our blog circle and check out my friend, Jill Cassara's beautiful take of indoor natural light this week HERE. Her images are so delightful and full of love and joy.

Photo 52: A Play on Light (Week 20: Indoor Natural Light)

After I showed Drew my submission from last week, she told me she would like a photo just like Harper's. So, before I had to return my borrowed macro lens, I snapped this one of Drew. It was a ton of fun to practice with a macro. Maybe someday I'll get to buy one, but for now I can just dream.  Here is my take for week 20 of indoor natural light. Please follow along the circle to see what image my friend, Julie Kiernan, mother of four from Minnesota chose this week HERE.