Photo a Day

The rain that they forecast for prom arrived... and it didn't let up.  Torrential downpours all day.  Thankfully a local garden centre allowed us to use their greenhouses for photos.  I haven't uploaded my camera photos yet, but I did snap a few with my phone.

There were plenty of floral displays to use as backdrops.  And I was really impressed with myself for managing to capture the 'checkout' sign in the background.

Prom was the fun and memorable event that everyone hoped for.  And the kids all survived the traditional, weekend long, after prom.  It's nerve wracking to send your kids off to a two day, unsupervised party... especially when chances are good that the stories they come back with won't necessarily be the kind of stories you want to hear.  Four down, two to go.

While they partied, we furniture shopped.  Well, window shopped.  We haven't bought new furniture in years, but the kids are outgrowing their single beds and we're looking to see what's out there in the way of full size beds with built in storage.  

Didn't find anything I loved, but came away with some ideas.  Like dinosaurs for our Jurassic World crazed youngest.  Could you sleep with something like this looking at you?

A few other things caught my eye.  We don't have a dining set in our kitchen, we just sit at the island or in the dining room, but I've wanted to put something in that space since we moved in over two years ago.  Like this set, made out of mango wood, which I've never even heard of.  I love that the finished surfaces come pre-gouged.  There's probably a better term for this, something that anyone who knows anything about furniture would know.  All I know is that the first dent or scratch will just blend right in.  Awesome.

And this.  Cool piece, yes?

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Prom Picture List

We're gearing up for another prom.  This will be our fourth.

In two weeks, we'll be celebrating another high school graduate.

But this week it will be all about the dresses and fancy suits.  Up-do's and corsages.  Dinner and dancing.  And the party bus.

As I look back through the photos I took the last three times we did this, I see all of the pictures that I didn't take and wish I had.  I also see that we were blessed with good weather every time.  Unfortunately, tomorrow's forecast doesn't look as promising.

So I give you my lessons learned, in the form of a Prom Picture List.  The photos I took, and all the ones that I wish I'd taken.

• The prom tickets.  Our school comes up with a unique and crafty design every year, and chances are good they'll come home wrinkled up in a pocket at the end of the night.

• Preparation photos.  Dress shopping.  Hair and nail appointments.  Tuxedo fitting.  Getting that tie done up properly.

• Your son/daughter in their dress/tux/suit - alone.  I took a ton of photos of my kids with their prom dates, and they're wonderful, but a few years later they're no longer with the same people.  I treasure the photos, and the memories, but I wish I had a few of my kids by themselves. Try to take a few different poses, showing different angles of the outfit that cost you a small fortune.  The temptation is to capture the entire outfit in full body shots, but try to zoom in close for a few pictures.

• A photo of you with your child.  Every year that we've done this, I've been behind the scenes in my shorts, T-shirt, and ponytail, and I've resisted being in any of the photos.  I regret this.

• Couple shots, including putting on their corsages.  Again, zoom in close for a few.

• Group shots.  And if you're a boy mom, get those girls in a few pictures.  All of those colourful dresses are an amazing sight!

• In the car.  Maybe you rented a limo.  Maybe they're driving Dad's normally off-limits convertible.  Maybe they're all piling into a party bus.  Capture it.

• The surroundings.  All of our graduating classes choose the lakeshore for their pre-prom photos, which makes for some nice scenery.  Zoom out and take it all in.

I've also learned to use the flash, even on sunny days, to cut down on the shadows that surrounding trees can create.

Hopefully tomorrow night I will remember to change up the poses and angles, capture the details and scenery, and have a back up plan for the thunderstorms they're forecasting.

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