Unbelievably Fun Photo Ideas

Good morning, all! And happy Sunday!

Today's post has been inspired by my love for photography and my interest in bettering myself in the field. I'm also busy working on a project for my local library for a silent auction they will be hosting in the fall. Some of my photos and photo notecards will be up for grabs. I'm also always selling and giving away some of my photographs as well as photography services to anyone who is interested. If YOU are interested, feel free to comment on this post or contact me via e-mail or Facebook.

So here are some of my favorite photo ideas and tips that you can try out, or if you're going to get professional photos done, let your photographer know what you might like!

Friendship photos. These types of photos are oh-so-FUN. There are a million ways you can go about this. Here are several ideas:

• Jump for joy - 'nuff said. Get an awesome shot of the two of you (or three or four or more of you!) jumping in the air. I would suggest using a tripod and self-timer on your camera. These are not only awesome photos, but they're a ton of fun to make and you get in some nice exercise! Woohoo! 

• Flaunt that hair, girlfraaand - you've got long, gorgeous locks, why not show 'em off? Hang your head off a bed, mess around with your hair like in the photo to the left. Whip your hair back and forth. Do whatever you think is fun, silly, beautiful. Have fun with it!

• Use props. There are a thousand and one things (AND MORE!) you can do when you add props into the equation. Mix it up - look around the house, go out to the dollar store and buy some stuff. You can use anything and everything and have a ton of fun with it. Gigantic sunglasses, flowers, hats, scarves, you name it -- go craaazy.

• Go on an adventure - travel around town, around the country, around the world! And bring your friends! You can have so much fun taking a million photos in your favorite place, or in a new place! Find some great scenery and photograph away!

Friendship photos can be the most fun ever, and now you have documented proof that you have friends! Hooray! That's always a major bonus to taking all these photos.

Next up, family photos. Of course you have a family you love and you want to show the world how much you love them. Instead of taking those typical in-studio portrait photos, get out there and make beautiful pictures! Even if you're family is ugly. (I kid, I kid). Here are some fun ideas for family photos:

• If your egg-o is pregg-o... Maternity photos are some of my favorite photos. They can be beautiful and adorable and lovely all at the same time. Here are a few of my favorite maternity photos that you can give a try: gender reveal, "bump ahead," "about to pop!", week-by-week, scrabble tiles across the belly, baby announcement photos (little shoes, etc.) Being pregnant can be both fun and miserable - why not make the most of it and have some fun with it! 
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• Newborns and babies... Babies are the cutest things ever. So you need need need to photograph them immediately. A few ways to do so: frame your baby on a comfy bed, take shots of each adorable thing about them, photograph them week-by-week, and month-by-month, pose your baby in a variety of different ways. 

• Multiple children - stack 'em up! Capture them laughing, smiling, running around, being playful. Those are the moments you want to remember most. 
  

Babies and children make the cutest photos you will ever have. Cherish those times by taking as many shots as possible. You can never have too many! So shoot away! Also - black and white photos of your baby are absolutely gorgeous - just like this one here on the right. Get up close and personal, snap away. Sleeping baby photos might even be my favorite because they look so calm and peaceful and it's a nice, wonderful time for mama. Wrap them in swaddling clothes and place them on a comfy bed or pillow and you'll be all set! 

And now, my favorite, couples' photos. I have mentioned before that I am in a serious relationship and have been for over 5 years now. We plan on getting engaged and married within a few years and I would love love love to have a thousand photos of just us that we can hang in our house when we finally start our lives together. A few of my favorite couples' poses: arms from behind, arms around waist, forehead kisses, regular kisses, cheek kisses, hand-holding, head on shoulder, hand on chest, making a heart with your hands. The list could go on and on. I absolutely adore couples' pictures. Engagement shoots, wedding photos, even just anytime photo shoots for fun are fantastic.  

These are all just a very small fraction of how many photo ideas are out there! Get creative - have some fun - play with angles and lighting and time of day. Sit, stand, kneel, lie down. Do whatever pose you feel looks good or great! If you don't like the way something came out, try something a little different. Black and white, color, color splash, blur, etc. all make for intriguing and unique photographs. Try everything on for size. Check out Pinterest for some more fun photo ideas! They have a crap ton of awesome stuff - as usual. So get out there and start shooting like a mad man! You'll love it, have so much fun, and get some great pics! Trust me, you won't regret it!

xoxo,

Clare

Is Being Single Overrated?

So lately I've been seeing a lot of BuzzFeed and HuffPost articles about single people celebrating their "single-ness." Don't get me wrong, I agree with these choices to some extent - even if it seems like I don't approve of some of it sometimes to my friends. I am not single, nor have I been for over five years; but to be honest, part of me wishes I had taken that time (like in college for example, from ages 18-22ish) to be single and explore who I was, etc. But I started dating my boyfriend when I was 18, and now I'm 23. Even though I never got to do any of that single stuff, I still love you, Vincent! But I say all that to let you know that I understand that people need those times, and even through their 20s and even into their 30s to explore their world, themselves, others, and relationships. I'm certainly not judging those of you who have decided to be single and not have children or anything and are those ages or older. I respect everyone's life choices, and so should you.

I mention all of this stuff because I feel that a lot recently, like I already said, lots of places all over the internet seem to be very anti-relationship/anti-children. And part of me really can't understand some of it. I don't have any children, nor do I plan on having any very soon. But I love kids, and I think they give a lot of people the perfect reason to live and be better people. I know a ton of parents (including my own) that would give everything for their children, and they could not be happier with the life they now have with kids.

I had this conversation with some friends and my younger brother last night. All of us agreed that none of us are anywhere near ready to have children. And the three of them aren't even in relationships nor have someone in their life to have children with. Ain't nothin' wrong with that, though. We're all between the ages of 21 and 25. Which, in my opinion, are all very young ages to have children. Not to mention our low maturity levels, which also plays a large factor in the decision to not have kids anytime soon. But I will also say this: lots of people are sometimes thrown into parenthood at an extremely young age, and though many struggle with it, and never learn to do it quite well, plenty get into a rhythm and grow up, learn to parent the right way and love their kids like nothing else. So there's always that. I hate when I hear people judging young mothers and fathers who accidentally got pregnant in their teen years. They make as good parents as the next person - if not better sometimes.

Anyway, it drives me crazy to see articles about being single being the greatest thing ever. Sure, it's great. You can live for yourself, go out and party, hang with friends, drink and drink and drink. (And trust me, I know some of these things seem super appealing and maybe even are, and I can agree - with the exception of the partying maybe). You can worry about yourself, and only yourself. And it's nice, yeah. With a significant other and/or children, you have a lot more people to provide for, and you may have to work long, hard hours at your job to pay the bills, put food on the table, etc. You may have more responsibility, but, is that necessarily a bad thing? You learn to grow up, and live your life for others ahead of yourself. And it provides all that, along with a sense of pride. So sure, you may not be able to go to that party tomorrow night and drink until the sun comes up, and you may be cleaning up poopy diapers all night instead, but... You're making someone else happy and content (as well as clean), and maybe that's better than feeling sick and hungover after a long night of drinking and partying.

I think it's also important to mention that there are these people called "babysitters." When you need a night out every once in a while, call one up (I'm available, for example), and enjoy yourself. Also, kids have early bedtimes, so I mean, feel free to stay up late to watch some Netflix with a nice glass of wine - who cares if work comes early? Live a little.

This whole post was all very jumbled, I feel like. But being single is great - I was single a long time ago, but I do remember some of the freedom I had then that I don't have now and I will admit that it was pretty damn awesome. But I think I actually like being in a relationship better. And I'm looking very much forward to having kids in the near future.

So, if you're single and writing some stupid article or something on BuzzFeed or the Huffington Post, take into account that you haven't really experienced everything yet, so you can't just bash parents and their way of life. Also, BuzzFeed articles are... I think, made specifically for single people who might not mind ending up living with 100 cats instead of a significant other or children. Just sayin'. Not judging.

But if you are single and you don't want a boyfriend/girlfriend or whatever right now, then live it up. Enjoy this time you have, embrace it, love it, be wild and free and young. Drink, party, have fun.

To answer the title of this blog post, well, I can't. And no one really can. Be single, be in a relationship, drink, party, have kids; do whatever makes you happy. After all, isn't that all that really matters? I told you my own personal preference, but who's to say that that's how YOU too should live your life? Have a little fun in life - you only live once.

I hope all of this makes some sense, haha. My point is this: this is a judgment-free zone - I respect everyone's life choices. Cats, drinks, children - you could have it all if you really want. Hell, why not give it all a try?

xoxo,
Clare