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So what do you do when you’re a photographer and you need to try a few different things? Well, if you’re like me (a little impatient and you just so happen to have a house full of kids) you throw everything at the wall in one session and see what sticks! I should start by saying that my kids were not happy or cooperative models this time around, so much so, that I had to break the ONE session into TWO.
What I learned from my use of marshmallows:
Marshmallows are sticky– especially when you leave the bag in front of a large window with direct afternoon sun (oops #1).
Cornstarch is messy– I rolled the marshmallows in cornstarch to stop them from sticking together. Sadly I was wearing a black shirt and black pants that were then covered in the white powder (oops #2).
Marshmallows do not like being tied to fishing line– I cannot even count the number of marshmallows that were slowly cut in half from being tied to the line. When you’re tying from top to bottom, it’s kind of a problem when a top or middle marshmallow suddenly gets chopped in half.
Marshmallows make kids hungry– do not, I REPEAT, do not use an edible food product and then try to tell the kids “well, sorry you can’t eat that, it’s just for decoration” what on earth was I thinking! Well, I know what I was thinking, I was thinking eating sticky marshmallows would leave white sticky goo on their mouths and faces and I would either have to chase them down with a wet washcloth (the key word chase) or I would have to Photoshop it all out (and no one wants to do that), so I chose mean mommy–I might have chosen wrong (oops #3).
Large marshmallows are too LARGE– huh? Yes, in my opinion the large marshmallows are too large for kids–the proportions are all wrong to look like snow. That being said, I have the WORST tying skills on the face of the planet and there was no way I was going to tie hundreds of teenie tiny marshmallows–next time I’ll just outsource that job (any volunteers???)
Have a better experience with using Marshmallows? Leave a comment because I would love to hear your suggestions!
For months I had planned every single image that I wanted to capture of my newborn when she arrived. I wanted them all–the posed, the candid moments between my 3 other children and her, and the sweet still images of her in her daddy’s arms. I’m a planner–that’s what I do. But what I do not do well, is improvise and think “outside of the box”. I was not prepared for my absolute inability to capture any images of my newborn daughter. I was not prepared for the multiple breakdowns I would have because I couldn’t take all of those images I had been planning for. Looking back now, I realize how crazy I was for trying to take my own newborns photos. I do not even specialize in newborn photography but even if I had, I still don’t think the outcome would have been any different. All the planning in the world did not prepare me for how shaky my hands would be from the lack of sleep and the painful tendonitis in both wrists (a lovely side effect of late pregnancy and overusing my wrist when lifting my body up) or how hysterical I would become when I had spent an hour setting up, all to be worn out after 10 minutes of shooting. My poor sweet beautiful baby cried every time I put her down and I cried, and cried, and cried until my husband would pull the plug and tell me to call it a day.
I am still trying to get all those moments captured off my checklist but I am also trying to be okay when things do not go according to plan, which you would think is something I am used to with four kids!
