We have three children and some times we need something to motivate all five of us out of the house for a chunk of the day. This weekend we went to Mitsuwa.
We go to the bookstore inside first. Everyone finds something unqiue they want.
Then before shopping for groceries we hit the food court.
Finally we grab some food to take home. Ramen, sauces, sake, and pastries from the bakery. It feels like we are preparing for Thanksgiving every time we visit because of how much food we buy… and eat afterwards.
Today was my oldest’s first day of kindergarten. We are lucky to live less than a mile from her school so we decided to walk with her. We begin the journey with some context…
As we walked through our neighborhood our daughter found neighborhood friends heading to school with her.
She was more ready for today than we were.
When we arrived at her school, it was a lot for all of us to take in.
We said goodbye.. and watched her walk away.
The day went by with us apart from our daughter more than we ever have been. I got to walk to her school and pick her up at the end of her day.
She was exhausted from her first day at kindergarten but made time to play with me as we walked.
But eventually her stamina gave out and she served looks as she sauntered lazily the rest of the way.
Another milestone recorded… they come quicker and quicker.
These are some of my favorite photographs I’ve taken this year. I’ve had three big upgrades to my kit this year, and most of the photos here are taken with one of the two lenses:
1. Canon R5 Mirrorless Camera
2. Samyang RF 85mm f/1.4 (most shots of people)
3. Canon RF 100-500mm F/4.5-7.1 L
My kids get the most opportunities for photographs and it shows to be honest. This is my top 10 photos of my family.
This year was an extra special one as I took photos for clients who weren’t friends or family. This was taken for an outdoor family shoot under the worst conditions. It was rainy and cloudy and the light was super low. Because of the rain we had to take photos in tight quarters under a shelter. The others are portraits I took for clients that worked quite well.
This was a photoshoot for a family saying goodbye to their nanny of many years. We took family shots + headshots + candids all in an hour. Golden hour is happy hour.
I took a number of practice shots of animals around my home. Only the heron isn’t taken from my yard.
I spent a lot of time practicing landscape photography. It’s a much higher time investment than other photos so far. While that really just underscores how much practice I need, landscapes tend to be difficult for me to find time for. They require me leaving my house and leaving all my kids with my wife to care for and I can’t see doing that enough to get the practice I need. I have some ideas to enable practicing a similar genre without having to leave my home. More to come on that in 2022!
Last but not least, my 4 y/o daughter started to dip her toes in the water with her own digital camera which she got for her birthday this year. This is my favorite of her photos this year. Me wearing a Price Eric (of The Little Mermaid fame t-shirt she gifted me) while photographing her, photographing me.
I’m excited to see what 2022 will bring!
