30 minutes in the life - 0 frogs but 843 mosquito bites

A few years ago during an unusually wet spring/summer the kids went frog hunting with a few of their friends. It’s been one of their favourite all time memories and they routinely bring it up. With the last several summers being exceptionally dry the frog population has been lacking in abundance. These last couple weeks have blessed us with a great deal of rain and at last we could hear the frogs calling.

We set out one fateful evening in search of a new amphibian friend to call our own. Having zero knowledge on anything frog related, I let the kids lead the way and they had some strong opinions on the best approach to take. Each of them took their turn implementing the next big idea.

Our adventure was serenaded by the songs of what I can only imagine were 2 million very shy frogs who enlisted the help of their mosquito friends as back up singers. We had some close encounters but ultimately came home empty handed. We left the soggy fields that evening with no new additions to The Soeder household, what I can only assume was collectively 843 mosquito bites, and a few lessons on how not to catch a frog.

I’ve teamed up with a group of amazing photographers to capture 30 minutes in the life each month. To follow along with our group next up is Jess of The Art of Adventures Photography: https://theartofadventures.com/30-minutes-in-ju…ing-at-the-beach/

30 minutes in the life - A gloomy Sunday afternoon.

Our forecast has called for rain consistently for the last several weeks yet it always seems to miss us. As I type this it is finally pouring much needed rain outside. It was a cool, and cloudy, wet weekend. We all spent time inside the warmth of the house.

Lego, video games, drawing, homework and reading were all on the table. I always think it is funny that no matter what the kids are doing, if I lay down for a quiet few moments in bed they will always quickly find me. Crawling underneath the covers to cuddle, telling me about their day, their troubles, asking questions, or telling me silly jokes. Sometimes I just find them in my bed, pretending to be asleep, and then giggling when they think they have tricked me. Which was the case this dreary afternoon.

We ended up spending some time together, relaxing just the 4 of us. They pulled out a book and took turns reading to one another and it was just the perfect way to spend the afternoon. I find as they all get older and life gets a little busier we have to make more of an effort to spend time with one another. This both makes me a little sad, yet makes me appreciate our time together that much more.

I hope that no matter how old they get they always feel like they have a safe place to come to, to visit, to share, to confide, or just take a few quiet moments to recharge. I’ve come to realize that I need these moments just as much as they do.

Thanks so much for reading along. I’ve teamed up with a group of talented photographers to capture 30 minutes in the life. Next up in the blog circle is Kim Sidwell Photography, see what she captured this month at https://kimsidwellphotography.wordpress.com/2019/06/24/

Motherhood Mini Sessions

Mom’s I want to celebrate you this April! I don’t know about you, but I’ve got thousands of pictures of my kids and I can probably count on my hands how many of those photos I am in . It’s important for our kids to have not just memories of us but also photographs. Come hang out with me Saturday April 20th in a warm and inviting local greenhouse and together we will create these memories for you and your kids.

The details: Saturday April 20th from 1-3pm. Session must be reserved ahead of time and space is limited. The sessions will be 15 minutes and are just 150.00 You will receive 5 included digital images with the option to purchase additional images for just 25.00/image. The images are guaranteed to be ready by Mothers day!

2019 Shoot and Share Contest round up

The Shoot and Share 2019 photo contest is a wrap. Each year photographers from all over the world submit up to 50 photos each to this contest. Photos are then voted on, over 4 weeks by the public. This year they received over 580 thousands entries and over 90 million votes. I didn’t submit 50 photos but did pick a few favourites to enter. It is always fun to see which image make it to the final rounds and even more fun to see so many familiar photos from photographer friends make their way into the finals. Yesterday I received my results and was able to see how my images did. Honoured and overwhelmed to see that one of my photos received 33rd place out of 52,643 entries in its category. Below is my top placing photos as well as some of my favourite entries.

Why in-home Family Photography Sessions are the best

When many people think of family photography sessions they think of a beautiful outdoor location during the summer. Even I am guilty of this, during the winter I sometimes have to remind myself to pick up my camera to even take my own family photos, which is just silly. There are so many reasons to plan a photography session in your own home.

Lets talk about the most obvious reason. The weather. Now here in Saskatchewan sometimes we get a nice spring and it seems like months of endless summer, but other years we have snow on the ground right into April with a cold and rainy May. Lets not even talk about those early winters with snow in September. It’s a pretty short season, and this makes outdoor sessions harder to plan for. As a photographer I hope that out outdoor session blesses us with a beautiful sunset on a calm warm evening but often that is not the case. Sometimes there is rescheduling, sometimes we work between wind gusts, and sometimes we have to stop to warm up during the session. Plan a session in your home and we worry about none of that. There’s way less rescheduling, you can wear what you want, and we don’t need to worry about wind messing up everyone’s hair.

The other amazing thing about a session in your house is how comfortable your kids are. Regardless of where we hold your session, I give kids plenty up time to warm up to me. But sometimes with younger ones especially, we get to our location, but it’s new, I’m new, and it takes longer for everyone to get familiar and comfortable in the space before we start to get those beautiful images that show that connection we are going for. In your home, you’re child can show me their favourite toy, they can cuddle up on their favourite chair and they have all the familiarity of home.

Now I know what your going to say! Maybe your home is due for some updating, or maybe the kids have toys everywhere. Maybe you just don’t feel your home is quiet camera ready. Well, I am here to assure you, it is! When we plan your session we can talk about what rooms you want used, and which ones you don’t. Your home does not need to be spotless and in show home condition. If you have clutter, which if we are being honest, who doesn’t? Do not worry! I suggest you gently clean one or two rooms and we focus on that area. Put some the the clutter away if you like, but make sure to keep the essence of your family present throughout. Open up the curtains and let your windows light your home ( and don’t worry you don’t need big picture windows either) and I will take care of the rest from there. During your session I use the best angles and light availability to make sure you and your home look great so that when you look at your images you see nothing but love, connection, and sweet family moments.

I usually suggest we book sessions during the daytime hours of 10-2pm and that we book the session around when the kids are happiest.

What to wear you ask? Well if we aren’t outdoors, you can wear whatever you like. Maybe your kids love wearing all shorts, all the time, or maybe they have a favourite dress that they love to wear but it’s just too cold to wear outside. Basically I want everyone to be comfortable and feel like themselves. For me, as a Mom. I know I am all about the leggings, a basic tee, and a long cardigan. This is perfect for an in-home session.

Still have some reservations about holding a family session in your home? Let’s chat! I am always happy to answer any questions you have.