still not yet...

After yesterday's post I stumbled across these two photographs...photos that were taken by my mother when we went down to Santa Barbara for a little girls trip a couple of weeks ago.

I am so glad I shoved the camera into my mom's hands and told her, with much encouragement, that yes she could take a good picture. There was a brief moment that my belief in her wavered when I had to show her a couple of times where the shutter release button was located, and she fumbled to hold the heavy camera. But she did it. She actually did it.

And so as I reflect back upon the post like yesterday's, in which I reveal the slightly elevating panic I am feeling over the growth and loss of my little Bean, I see these pictures...

...and I cry.

...and I melt.

Now I know what it means when others say to their children, you will always be my little girl.


She will forever be my Bean. I know I will always see traces of her underneath her skin, in her eyes, and in the way she loves me.

I cannot thank my mother enough for taking these pictures.

roller blading (and a little addiction of sorts)

Do you remember summer evenings when you were little? I do. In my little world and era, we used to bolt outside after dinner and spend the extra hours of daylight riding our bikes, building forts, and roller skating. When the sun went down we would tumble through the door in a sweaty mess and gulp down a sweet dessert because we had burned through our dinners and our blood sugar levels were super duper low. Good times.

So yesterday evening when I stepped outside after dinner with my camera, to get to the business of completing my Picture Inspiration assignment, Bean followed me out and donned her roller blades. The weather was beautiful, the sun was out (finally!), and she and her brother enjoyed those extra daylight hours.

Clinging to Daddy for support...

As she rolled towards me she gave me her photographic poses...

My Picture Inspiration assignment this week was to capture "double vision" in the form of a diptych. A diptych is a photograph that is comprised of two different or identical images, that are placed side by side to form one image. The "one image" then makes its own statement.

When I first saw the assignment I had to smile. My instructor had no idea how much of a diptych girl I am. I am a bit obsessive with them as they can be addictive. There is something about them that can convey detail and story in a way that one image cannot. I love to pair photos, and if you have been around here for any length of time, you will know that this is true. :)

I love to put similar photos from the same moment side by side to convey a little story. Below, Bean is in her Paris Hilton camera moment. (I seriously thought she would out-grow this phase.) I loved putting these two images together to embrace this one moment, this one part of the story of our evening.

Here she is trying to use Daddy's car for support...

My obsession is not limited to diptychs. I often play with similar images until my eye is pleased with a grouping. I guess this would be called a triptych? (Must google.)

The PI assignment however, was about using two images to capture something at different angles. I knew right away that I wanted to capture Bean's roller blades so I purposefully attempted several perspectives. In the end I paired these two images because I loved the detailed close up, eye-level image of the roller blades contrasted with the wider angle shot from above. This way we could actually see Bean in the roller blades, and in the motion of using them. This is one of my favorite ways to use a diptych: a detailed shot alongside a wider angle, contextual shot. 

So there you go, my addiction has been outed. Though I figured it would not really be a surprise to any of you. But, admitting it is the first step right?

Now go try a few yourself, and then you can blame me later should you discover your own obsession with them. Here's to more beautiful summer evenings, and diptychs!