Photography Challenge Day 5

Eyes

I will admit that I had a difficult time with this subject, and in the process fell victim to frustration and had a non-so-great parenting moment. Let's face it. Toddlers don't want to sit still and look at the camera. And, quite frankly, neither do dogs. So after chasing my toddler and my dogs around with my camera for an hour, trying to get just one of them to look at me for what... 1/160th of a second or however fast my shutter speed was set to at the moment.

In the end I did get these two cute ones, though unfortunately the closeup is pretty badly underexposed. Otherwise I really love it!

I think that these two capture the light in his eyes pretty well. And can I say that I am in love with this kiddo's eyelashes?

Now, let's talk about that bad parenting moment, shall we? Nothing is worse than mom guilt. Nothing. It is hands down one of the worst feelings in the world. We were having a perfectly good morning, and I had to get snappy because I was getting frustrated over getting a stupid picture. Yes, I love pictures, and I'm loving photography. But is it worth getting snappy over?

The truth is, I just wanted to get the darn picture and get it over with. There's no joy in taking a picture if you can't get the subject to cooperate, and there's no joy in playing outside with your child if you are trying to get a specific picture. So let me say this. While I think this photo challenge is really fun and I did get these two cute pictures out of the deal, I'm starting to think that when it comes to my son, I'd prefer the candid shots, the ones where he is just acting natural, so that I don't have to feel so frustrated over not being able to get the one element that I want.

Of course I apologized for being snappy with him. Moms aren't perfect, right? I think it's important to let them know that we make mistakes too, and to take responsibility for our mistakes so that they can learn by example to do the same. So I said it to him, but I'll say it again. E, I am sorry that your mother is cranky. I am sorry that I got caught up in trying to get the right picture and snapped at you when you wouldn't cooperate. Trust me. I am so very sorry. I will have mommy guilt for the rest of the morning. (Forgiving myself and moving on is something I'm still working on.)

Now, let's go to the park and get some ice cream together. Camera free. The way the dog's stomach is gurgling over there, I don't think we want to hang out around here anyway...