Aidan has a little scratch on his nose. We keep our legos in a wicker picnic basket (courtesy of Auntie G-ma) and Aidan was digging deep for a specific lego piece and scratched his little nose on the edge of the basket. One night while getting ready for bed, I offered to put some ointment on it to help it heal, but he said, "No Mom, it makes me look tough!" Then he smiled as he examined his relection in the mirror.One thing you are sure to get from kids is a different perspective. Here I was, worried about healing and scarring, and he was feeling pretty good about his newly acquired injury. Taking pride in his battle scars, even if the battle was with a picnic basket. I too have a scar on my nose, a bump that appeared when I was a teenager - perhaps the remnant of a battle with adolescent acne, though I don't know for sure how I acquired the bump. Avery noticed it for the very first time the other day. I was so surprised that she hadn't noticed before.
The truth is, we are all flawed. Scratches, bumps, stretch marks, birth marks. From the second we are born, we are like blank canvases waiting to be filled with tell-tale signs of injuries, accidents, natural disasters. My son made me see these blemishes not as flaws, but as marks of beauty, worthy of pride and admiration. They make us different, they tell a story, they are landmarks on our personal maps. Some go away, some are here to stay. Whether Aidan's scratch heals without a trace or leaves a scar, we are enjoying it while it lasts.
I have been experimenting with my new camera. I am not a big fan of flash photography, but sometimes it is a necessary evil. While I prefer the first picture of Aidan, taken without the flash, I was surprised by how well the picture taken with the flash captured the color of his eyes (though not of his skin tone). His eyes are truly hazel. And a little bloodshot. Any tips about flash photography out there? I'd love to hear from you.
I think those leftover bumps and bruises are part of what makes us unique. It's the mark of our experience and our walk through life.
ReplyDeleteAt least that's what I tell myself when I see that scar on Annika's lip from when she tripped on a step and face planted on concrete at 2 years old. Her walk through life. That's it.
that first picture is my fav... The thing I noticed first was his hazel eye, even though I only got to see the hazel in one!
ReplyDeleteLook at that sweet little nose. Oh my, the pings and dings...I remember when my first was born and looking at his perfect little self and having that blank canvas,clean-slate realization. And those first few scrapes, those first battle scars hurt me worse than they hurt him, for sure. But your right, they all tell a story, and if that's so, well my body would be a novel!
ReplyDeleteAh yes, the love/hate relationship with flash photography. I'm with auntie g-ma, the first shot speaks volumes to me over the second, although those are some pretty hazel eyes in the second shot. I'm afraid I don't have any useful tips on the flash. I use mine only when necessary, because it does a really lousy job. I've been thinking to invest in one of those attachables that tilt- do you think they would make all the diffence?
Great post Molly!
The first picture would have given you your desired effect if you had turned him toward the window. I see there was a window to his right. If the sun was still too much and making him squint, you can close the blinds or curtains and let the light be diffused onto his face.
ReplyDeleteIf you are using an SLR, you would be better off getting a flash that bounces off the ceiling for indoor shots instead of one that points forward. It makes for much more natural lighting when we just have to use it.
His "tough" face is adorable!!!
Does that mean the boob job is out? I just want them back where they were. Oh, and if they could be identical twins again. I don't know if I want the world to know how inept I am at reading a map. Or better yet, I'd like forget some of my lifes journeys.
ReplyDeleteAdien always looks so very serious. I like the photo with the flash. He has beautiful, intense eyes. Much like his moms.
What lovely sentiments! We are all full of those marks that have defined our character. Wouldn't have it any other way.
ReplyDeleteI struggle with the flash myself as I'm always looking for good lighting.
You're right, natural body art is part of the growing experience. You just hope as an adult you don't paint the canvas any more!
ReplyDeleteI'm so jealous of the time you have to take such wonderful pictures, I just have to wait for my vacations to spend quality time with my camera.
I haven't mastered the flash either. At all. I wish I could use it successfully like some people do.
ReplyDeleteI like hearing alternate perspectives like that. We all have them, we just don't know we have them all the time.
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ReplyDelete"http://pregnancy.more4kids.info/stretchmarks">stretchmarks . I personally facing this problem from my pregnancy. I applied every cream spend huge sums of money but to no use. In order to disappear stretch marks, my friends advice me to use revitol stretch mark cream.
A scar on the nose is something a 5year old boy can be proud of, but the boob job definitely is out... not sure where that came from. In fact, I think it was totally inappropriate for John & Becca to suggest that for Aidan. If you think he is scarred now, wait until the kids on the playground start in with the, "nice rack, Aidan" jokes. Poor kid.
ReplyDeleteFavorite scar reference: in the movie "Jaws" where Richard Dreyfus & Robert Shaw are comparing scars from their rugged experiences, and Roy Scheider contemplates for a moment whether or not to mention his appendectomy scar in an attempt to fit in with the guys.
As for the photo question: flash will always look artificial. Even professional indoor photography looks unnatural to my eye. If you have the money and equipment you can minimize the flash effect by lighting from different sources spaced at different distances from the subject, but I doubt that is what you are asking. There are diffusion filters that scatter the light a little, &/or you can aim the head of the flash off to the side to bounce the light from a wall/ceiling, but in the end you still have flash lighting with weird shadows. I prefer Visty's solution of using the window -- especially in the winter. You cannot beat an overcast winter day to create soft lighting, and a window can be used to create greater or lesser degrees of natural shadowing. Check out how well lit Ave is by the window on the 16th.
-- Mark.