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Sunday, February 22, 2009

Photography Genius

When Thuy, Kacey, and I all became pregnant around the same time, we were giddy over the fact that our kids would grow up together and that the three of us would be able to lean on one another for advice and support as Moms. We also talked of the day when we would line up our children side by side and accomplish nothing short of Anne Geddes-like photography genius.

Honestly, how hard could something like this be? The babies in Anne's photos are always so charming and peaceful:

When Lucia was about three months old, we gave this photo our first attempt.

Although Lucia was cooperative and slept through the entire event, we couldn't quite get M to sit up straight.

When we asked Giancarlo to join the mix, he was less than thrilled and it was Emi who couldn't find her center of gravity.

Yesterday, the three of us brought our kids together again to give this photo another try. Now that the kids are older, surely it must be our time.

Take a second look at how happy and utterly darling the children in Anne's photos are.

Now, check out our kids. Think of these as the best of the best from our photo session. Also, for your added enjoyment, I suggest you try to find the child in each picture who is inhibiting our photography greatness.

I think we may have caught M mid-blink.

I obviously do not feed my children enough as Lucia is attempting to eat her snack's wrapper.

While taking these photos, the three of us, along with our husbands, were standing in a line on the other side of the room, jumping up and down, clapping, smiling, anything we could to get our kids to smile. Sadly, I think we ended up scaring Giancarlo.

Emi's turn to blink.

Anne, if you are reading this, please help. What's your secret to perpetual cuteness on film?

-Francesca

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70 comments:

Katie Lane said...

I think your photos are darling. Not sure how Anne does it though?! Must be some photoshop magic. Says thanks for the comments, have an award for you!

Unknown said...

these are really cute!! i love anne geddes work and i never actually tried to duplicate myself!! you've shown me a whole new level of appreciation for it!

Unknown said...

Love them! I can't get one kid o look at me when I'm taking pictures let alone FOUR! Hey why won't Wenda visit me?

Lisa@saltandlightstudio said...

What you need is:

1. Children that are too small to fight back

2. A team of wranglers to force them into the o-so-cute positions needed to get just the right "Anne Geddes" look

Maybe when you three gals have your next round of babies you'll be able to implement this plan. ;)

BlogBaby

Hccm said...

There are certain things we must leave to the professionals and in your case, this is one of them.

Hugs and Mocha,
Stesha

Anonymous said...

Kids really scare me.

I don't know why.

But yours are kind of peaceful looking.

Anonymous said...

OMGoodness...I am laughing HYSTERICALLY over here!! Those are so funny!

Ahem....I mean....errr...they are gorgeous and surely Anne Geddes worthy...coughcough.

Little hint: Anne works with newborns usually less than a week old. ;)

Baby bunnies? Oh yes, those were not taken TOGETHER, but singly, and then photoshopped in together.

Does that help you feel better at all? LOL

Kathy said...

These are great pictures. I think Anne must use benedryl. No, not really. I am NOT accusing anyone of drugging children.

Kathy B! said...

Just let it go... I've been trying for what feels like an eternity to accomplish this same feat. At this point if I can get something close to a smile on everyone's face and all eyes open I consider it a success.

Oh, and clean, smudge-free clothing, too...

Susan said...

The pictures are cute even if they don't look like Anne Geddes!

dede said...

your pictures are adorable and will be a treasure in years to come! I always take pictures of my kids by themselves - they are so much cuter that way (when they grow up they will probably wonder if they were even siblings??) group shots are next to impossible!!

Melissa said...

I've gotta agree with the others... Anne is a fantastic photographer, but I'm gonna guess she's a magician with photoshop! So, take the best shot of each kid and squish it all together! WAHLAH! Anne Geddes here you come!

Meg said...

Have you tried putting all four of them in flower costumes? I think that might be the missing element.

Ellia C. Naturals said...

That is tooo cute! Your little ones are adorable :) Anne's work is a freak of nature...maybe the 9th or 10th Wonder of the World (LOL)!

Colleen said...

very cool. My two sisters and I were all pregnant and had little ones at the same time. My two sisters boys were actually born on the same day, while my daughter was 7 weeks early. We have some really great shots of the kids together. They are all 7 now.

rachaelgking said...

Personally, I think the candids are the cutest! Love them.

peewee said...

what you really need is PHOTOSHOP. You guys have the cutest kids...those pics made me laugh. Anne Geddes do not.

Tara Bennett said...

Francesca, I love these pix! My Chloe always screams when we try to get her pitures done professionally, but somehow, we always get one or two fab shots. I attribute it solely to the photographer's skill at catching her in between screams. And think that as she's working up to a scream, she makes a face for an instant that looks like a smile! LOL. Where's Wenda seems to really be taking off - congrats!

Vanessa said...

Not everyone can be Anne Geddes. Still, they are cute photos!

Kathy said...

I think you already found it...the key to perpetual cuteness that is! These are some cute, cute bay-b's!

Anonymous said...

what beautiful children!!! you are all lucky to have each other!

Nana said...

What a bunch of cuties!!!!! I know a couple of places where Wenda is. I don't know how to copy and paste. Hopefully Tara will come over.

Jen said...

Love your pictures!! Your kiddos are precious!! What a cute idea! I think they are just as good AG!!

Happy Sunday!!

Jen

Sara @ Domestically Challenged said...

my thought? she takes 1 kid at a time and photoshops them all together. That is the only way, I believe. Children are genetically unable to photograph in groups.

Kimmy said...

's too funny! Adorable and cute still :o)

Sarah said...

Very cute. My 2 kids never look at the cmaera at the same time...i cannot imagine 4!

debi9kids said...

Ah yes! When I had my twins, I used to get together with other mommies of twins and we would try, unsuccessfully, to do the same thing. LOL

Cute babies though and still adorable pics!

seriously? said...

I couldn't even tell the difference between your pictures and Anne's pictures. :) I would have to say you need some more treats to get them a little bit more "in the mood" and less freaky parents jumping up and down. I'm just sayin...

PS. of course we are still play date buddies. Just know that I will be preparing a power point presentation on the wonderfulness of facebook to be crammed down your throat...I mean to be shown to you at our first play date outing. Can't wait!!!

Kristina P. said...

I'm sure Anne uses Photoshop. That b**ch!

McMrs said...

Too cute!
It's funny how photographers can be such geniuses and we cannot compare not one bit! I really would love to know myself ;)

Anonymous said...

HAHA. That's so funny you guys are actually trying to do this:) You'll get it, don't worry -- have you tried photographing them individually, and then just photoshopping them into one picture? I guess that could be considered cheating, but hey, it's a start!

Brandi said...

I think your pics are darling! Especially the one where it looks like Emi is eating her boogies! LOL

Ryan Ashley Scott said...

Yes, Anne does take beautiful photos, but just look at the cute faces in YOUR pics! There's something to be said for capturing a child's personality instead of making a wall-hanging, and Mom's seem to have a knack for bringing out that charming character in their kids. These are adorable.

Thanks for visiting my blog today.

Country Mouse, City Mouse said...

Anne Geddes are super cute, but you are the real deal. Just keepin' it real my friend!!

Sevi said...

HAHA! I love all the attempts. Definitely an A for effort!

Eve said...

Aawww... who needs Anne Geddes when you have those four cutie pies (cooperative or not - they are adorable)!

Eve said...

A tip... just in case: Never take multiple little ones to Walmart photo studio - they just can't handle the chaos!
However, The Picture People do a pretty good job - they are trained to entertain as well as take photos and they have really cute props too. They aren't Anne Geddes, but they are relatively inexpensive and a pretty quick in and out too!

Unknown said...

I know how Anne Geddes does it: a combo of photoshop and infant motrin. Just guessin'. The pictures with my kids and their cousins turn out the same way too!

joanofalltrades said...

Your pictures have way more character than Anne Gedde's pictures. Yours capture the true unpredictable nature of children. Hers are a lie.......peaceful children......yeah right. That's no fun! Love the pics!

Bridget said...

Hehehe!! When I got my son's first professional pictures done, the photographer would have to wake him up and snap the shot really fast before his eyes closed again...you can't tell by the pictures though, they turned out great!

Love these pics of the kiddos!!

He & Me + 3 said...

If Anne emails you or comments and tells you her photography secrets...please share. All the kids are so cute!

Anonymous said...

How cute. Nice photos..

Not your Happily Ever After said...

How fun. It is very hard getting kids to cooperated for pictures. I have five little ones and trying to get a family photo is quite exhausting. To get it to look like an Anne Geddes photo? Impossible.

Counselormama said...

It is hard to take pics like that! I will help "Seriously" with her Powerpoint by providing a testimonial for her presentation!

Anonymous said...

Cute!

I try to take nice pics of the 4 kids I nanny for sometimes and forget-about-it...cannot for the life of me get all 4 kids to look at the camera and smile at the same time. not gonna happen!

Anonymous said...

I think you captured the magic right there! I just adore you and everything you do.

Heidi said...

So cute! I have read before that Anne's photos take a looooonnnnggg time to get right, all day long for one pic. Plus, if one kid proves to be a problem, he/she is out and the next one is in.

Barbaloot said...

Those are totally cute---and how fun for the kids:) I bet Anne uses fake babies.... ?

That Girl said...

HA! Love this. They look exactly like grandchild photo shoot we had over christmas - five kids under five.

It didn't go over too well.

Megan said...

One word: Photoshop. Photoshop, Photoshop, Photoshop. :)

(If you don't mind waiting a week or two, I would be happy to play around with your photos and see what I can come up with.)

Deb said...

These pictures are adorable!

The High Family said...

These photos are cute but I totally feel your pain with trying to get them all to smile together!

I feel like I take 100 pics each time I try to get a good brother/sister photo with Ryan and Kara. I maybe get an "ok" one after those 100. I've decided that they are just "artistic" now...

Grand Pooba said...

NyQuil. Got to be NyQuil!

They may not be like Anne's photos but they have much cuter kids! They are so cute!

And Awwww, you wrote me a poem! Now I am a woman of many talents, rubbing my belly while patting my head, popping my knuckles, the list goes on and on, but I admit writing poems is not one of them!

Grand Pooba said...

I am so going to comment again on this post! Here is the extent of my talents:

Three Bay B Chicks
Like to play with Sticks
In California they live
To be their neighbor, my husband I'd give

Yeah, that last lines a stretch but hey I tried :)

Anonymous said...

Anne has this magic with pictures, but yours show reality, like this is how it is, this is life.

Quiskaeya said...

How adorable are they!! Way to cute. :)

Melissa said...

Awwww...those are soooo cute.

Debbie said...

I'm pretty sure Anne drugs the kids in her photos. I'm not really accusing her or anything, but why would our photos not turn out exactly like hers if that wasn't the case? Just think about it.

Sarah J. said...

That was SO adorable! Awesome awesome! How did you find those matching pictures! I am laughing!

Helene said...

You know, even though Anne Geddes' pictures are amazing and beautiful, I think there is a lot of beauty in the pics you took!! They're REAL!! Can you imagine how many people Anne Geddes has working for her, running around making sure the children smile or stay in position??? Plus I can't imagine she doesn't Photoshop some of her pics...oh and most of her pics are of sleeping babies!

I love your pics!!!

rachel said...

The kids are so cute! Maybe they all just need bunny costumes...maybe that's how Anne does it. And seriously how great is it that all your guys' kids are about the same age. How fun to enjoy this mommy journey together :) Thanks for following my blog! It means a lot :)

MsTypo said...

I've always thought that Anne Geddes drugged those kids or something. LOL No baby is ever that peaceful.

Anonymous said...
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Brooke said...

You really did take some cute pictures. I think they look great! Good job!

Sarah said...

Lots and lots of photos. Out of 150, there's BOUND to be at least 1 great one! ;)

Anne Geddes secret - I think that top pic is that those have to be teeny tiny babies - week or two old. The still sleepy stage!

But you have some really cute ones!

Lady of Perpetual Chaos said...

Personally I think her secret magic trick involves benedryl or something along those lines!
Way to go trying to get those pictures though. Maybe her secret is actually photoshop....

Shan G said...

Maybe some cute costumes and a mild baby sedative would help? LOL

The pictures are too cute though!

B said...

I'm still laughing. I think you caught the true Anne moments there. Are you ladies for hire?

Heather said...

Those pictures are just as cute as Anne Geddes!

Jo said...

One kid is pretty easy to take a picture of, I can do it with two. Anymore than that, and they are generally a joke!