Thursday, May 1, 2008

Hi, Mom. I'm On Candid Camera!

Most teachers from preschool through elementary school are all faced with the same task at this time of year - creating a memorable Mother's Day project for their students to give to their mommies. Middle schoolers and high schoolers around here are too busy taking the #*!@ TAKS test (the state of Texas standardized test) right now and besides, many of them think that parents are stupid and are unworthy of a present. So, those teachers of older students are off the hook on the Mother's Day thing.

I was asked by a friend to help her provide gifts from the kids at her school. It seemed easy. All I had to do was take a few pictures. I love taking pictures; not so much "portraits", but these were to be of babies and everyone knows that babies do not pose. It is all candid camera with them. What my friend was hoping for was some spring looking Anne Geddies type pictures - babies, flowers, lady bugs, and bumble bees. Sounds cute, huh?

I took pictures of about thirty babies under the age of two. For the most part, it was fun and the wee ones were cooperative. Then there were these few . . .


"If you think my mommy will like this, I'll play along with your silly game. Personally, I think you all are nuts!"


"Help! Get me out of here! There are bees in these flowers."


"This is our first Mother's Day together. I really want to give her real flowers!"


"My mommy likes killer bees."


"You want me to do what? Can I call my mom and make sure this is what she really wants for Mother's Day?"

Now I know why many of the pictures that Anne Geddies takes are of sleeping babies.

I did manage to get some really cute shots, some even of these same little ones. Stay tuned for some of those.