tiny chef

This is the third and final roll of film I shot to commemorate my little one's 3rd birthday.  Making mac & cheese together is one of our favorite rituals and I thought it would be a perfect way to round out her birthday images.  We bought her the learning tower last year for her birthday and it is always in the kitchen so she can watch me and talk with me when I prepare meals. She loves learning about cooking and we even have matching aprons that we put on when we work on something together.  I don't let her chop yet but she is great at pouring, measuring, and stirring which makes mac & cheese a perfect meal for her to make *almost* by herself.  And it goes without saying that she is always very carefully supervised when she's near a hot stovetop.  

I chose kodak bw400cn to tell this story.  It has quickly become my favorite black and white film and I really adore it indoors.  It is super sharp and it gives a great range of blacks, grays, and whites.  I know I will treasure these as she grows older and I think it would be fun to do a similar set each year on her birthday to remember a particular task or ritual she enjoyed at that age.  Thanks so much for looking!

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Three. part 2.

After I shot the roll of Portra 160 of her at the little park (see my post here) I decided to take her to her favorite playground and shoot another roll of her just playing.  I thought they would make a nice companion set to the earlier images.  How children play at different ages says so much about their developing personalities.  With these I was able to capture her growing confidence as she climbed to the very top of the jungle gym.  I got to catch her twirling (one of her favorite things) on film which was a little nerve-wracking since I was worried about missing my focus.  I also was able to document her sweet little dirt-covered knees as she laid on a bench and said "I'm tired!"  I wanted her birthday session to feel almost like a time capsule.  Thanks for allowing me to share these with you and for following along with my adventures in film photography!

film:  fujicolor pro 400h

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Three.

If I had shot this session on my DSLR I would have easily shot 250 frames and then spent lots of time agonizing over the nuances of nearly identical images, not to mention the time I would have spent editing them.  Something I've learned from film is when to say to myself "I got it.  Let's move on."  Knowing that I only have 36 frames to capture what I see helps me stay present and I also find that I have more time to just enjoy her because once the roll is finished, it's finished.

These were taken the evening after her third birthday.  I was so nervous to shoot film for these and I thought seriously about shooting digital as well just to make sure that I got something in case I really messed up.  In the end I decided to trust myself and what I've learned about film so far and just go for it.  My heart swells when I look at these and see my little three year old exactly as I see her--free as a bird and with such an interesting blend of joy and contemplation.  I love her and I love these images.  

Film:  Portra 160.  

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