I'd rather be happy every day, than sad.
I'd rather be laughing every day, than crying.
I'd rather be me, than someone I'm not.
~author unknown
As a photographer, I always try to capture the true personality of my subjects, but somehow, when it comes to photographing my own children, I sometimes try to coax contrived expressions and poses that although sweet and dear, are not necessarily who they are.... um... Last weekend I was photographing my son for his class valentine cards and I asked him if he would give me a great big smile. He has a great smile when he flashes it, but he is not really a smiley personality, in front of the camera. He was amazing throughout the whole session...I have never seen him flash such big smiles...he even let me stamp a great big RED KISS on his cheek! Near the end of the session he gave me a look that said "O.K. Mom I've posed long enough..." It ended up being one of my favourite images because it was not contrived. To add to the feel of the image I added some text and some border overlays...I hope his teacher won't penalize him for MY spelling... I liked a phonetic look for the text...