Day 8: Gift from the Heart

Today I learned that I have so much more to learn. In reading up on f-stops, exposure, metering, and ISOs, I've also discovered I have a digital camera that doesn't really allow the user much control over these things. My old non-digital camera does allow me to change the aperture and so forth, but it has sat in the back of my closet untouched for months. Unfortunately, non-digital cameras seem to be going the way of the typewriter. Don't get me wrong. I absolutely love my typewriters, but I don't use them regularly. Instead, they decorate the top of my bookcases quite nicely. And I love my old analog camera. It was my first real camera, with detachable lenses and filters and everything. But I have become too accoustomed to seeing my photographs immediately, being able to delete them without having to pay to have them printed before deciding to toss them away.

That said, I did have some fun with my little point and shoot this afternoon trying to capture a "gift from the heart," a gift given to me by a loved one. And I will say this, I didn't end up deleting as many photos as I have in the past. Prior to being the Joy of Love project, my philosophy was to take an unbelievable number of photos in hopes of getting one or two that turned out. In the last couple days, I've had more than just one or two photos work in the hundreds that I take. More than just a few. So, maybe I am learning something even with a little point and shoot.

It helps when your subject is so easy to photograph. It is no surprise that the greatest gift I have ever been given is that of motherhood. It is also one of the most demanding and messiest gifts I've been given, but one that has changed my world in immeasurable ways for the better. I have grown in ways that I never would have expected, and I love these little boys more than I ever could have guessed. I look forward to what I learn from them each day, what new adventure each day brings. So that's what I set out to photograph this morning.

I started photographing my littlest one, namely because as I was contemplating what I had learned from being a mother, he was also contemplating. His fist...and whether or not he could fit the whole thing in his mouth. Turns out, he almost could. And it pleased him immensely, giggling while puddles of drool dripped down his chin. I swear, he is the happiest little baby I've ever seen. Yet another gift to be thankful for!