Starting a new self-portrait project, inspired by Wherever I am With You. Every month I'm going to make the effort to get behind the frame with my daughter. For her birthday party a few days ago I strung up a collage of photos of her from the year. A friend, after looking at them said, "You don't get many photos of you do you?" I re-looked at the collage and Alexa and her Dad littered most of the photos. Many of the photos of her and her Dad are my absolute favorite, but that doesn't mean I should be "absent" from Alexa's growing childhood. With Scott deployed, I feel it's more important than ever to make more of an effort to get behind the frame. So this is me, making the effort to show Alexa that I was there too. Getting in front of the camera is not easy, and taking a creative self portrait with an energetic wee one isn't either! But it's an exciting challenge. I think it will really stretch me creatively and years down the road, I'm sure I'll be grateful I made the effort.
At Wherever I am With You, is a website where a group of photographers monthly post their efforts to get in the frame with their children, but you don't have to be a professional to take this challenge. Does this sounds like something you want to do? Write me in the comments and join me! I'm all for the buddy system. :)

Can't you see Mr. Darcy chasing Elizabeth down here? Have I mentioned I'm in love with this movie... you might hear it again.

This particular room was so interesting. There were figures and items in the room painted and lit in such a way that they  looked like they were hovering off the walls, like this floating woman in the bottom left corner.

This violin is a painting too! Crazy right?

Mr. Darcy himself! The sign next to him in bold text said "PLEASE DO NOT KISS MR. DARCY."

Derbyshire and this house were beautiful! I wish we had more than a day to explore it!

The cold air and teasing rain during this shoot could have easily soured anyone's mood, but this family embraced the day and it's sour weather with playful energy and warm laughter! We jumped, ran, played and had fun exploring little bits of Burg Nanstein.

 
―Maurice Sendak, Where the Wild Things Are