When I came up with the idea to do the Project 365 linky, there was one person that I turned to as my sounding board; the one who had consistently commented on my 365 posts during the previous year, and the one who has championed the project ever since.
Meet Jenny from Mummy Mishaps.
In contrast to the previous 365 Photographers profiled, Jenny (like I do) focuses her photography on her everyday family life, and the development of her children. It is such a joy to see the antics of Burton and Jenson, the way that they play together, the comedy antics and the adventures exploring. And now that Burton has started school, it is fascinating to see a slight shift in the content of Jenny's photographs; to see the independent boy in Jenson emerge as he finds his own way without his big brother guiding his daily path.
I'll confess that I have a vested and personal interest in this particular post, as Jenny is now one of my closest friends and The Boy adores playing with his two chums. However, I do also feel that the clumsiest mummy around is one of the most genuine and friendly people, and this shows in her photographs; personality really does come through in the way we point and shoot.
Which is why these are my favourites of the moments that Jenny has captured so far.
These two photographs come from different ends of her 2013 project and show the change in Jenson, her youngest son. From a toddler with many features of a baby, to a confident and daring little boy who was not afraid to zoom along at a high speed. I also think the tenderness in the first photograph is beautiful, and the motion blur in the second is spot on.
I simply adore these two photographs of cheeky Burton as they really show off his adventurous personality to the fullest, especially the tree-climbing photograph with his wicked grin and glint of achievement in his eye. And yet, you could be mistaken for thinking he's a rough and tumble boy; he's not. Burton is one of the kindest and most sensitive boys that we know, a true testimony to the love and care that he is shown consistently.
These are Jenny's favourite six from the 365 Project so far.
25/11/12 – Burton loves water (well both boys do) and last year we had a lot of rain and the park was flooded for most of the Summer/Autumn, and he loved racing through the massive puddles on his bike and he went really fast too. This was taken one Sunday afternoon when I took both boys to the park while Daddy was watching the F1, and I had no idea this would happen! I love the look of determination on Burton's face, the bright red of his coat complementing his red bike, the Autumnal colours on display, the big splash he and his bike made, and his reflection in the puddle. It just shows off his sense of adventure and how he does not care how wet he gets in the process. We both got wet taking photos that afternoon!
15/11/12 – I love this photo so much. I can see it has faults like Jenson not looking at the camera and the white glare of light to the left of Burton (over exposured?) , but its perfect to me because of the fun we had. I took the boys to the tangled woods in the grounds of a nearby stately house, because when we had visited before we had nick-named them the Gruffalo Woods because they were deep and dark like the trees in the book. I decided to take Burton's Gruffalo and Gruffalo's Child toys with us so the boys could go on a Gruffalo Hunt and they loved every minute of it. It remains one of my favourite little outings I have had with them and even if they will never remember it, we have this photo to keep the memory alive.
05/09/12 – Taken at Instow beach, I adore how the boys were helping to fill the bucket with sand to make a sandcastle together. It was a complete fluke and bonus that I managed to capture the 'flying' sand! The beach is a great way to spend time together having fun as a family.
06/09/13 – I love this shot of the two boys. It was taken at the end of a warm day following some rain and the boys had been enjoying splashing in the puddles; Burton on his bike (note the mud stains on his clothes) and Jenson bare footed! It marked the end of a wonderful Summer and the start of a new season and a new chapter in our lives as Burton started school a week later. I just love the carefree abandonment of my boys in this photo and it sums them up well.
07/10/13 – Jenson and I were just going on a little Autumn walk/nature hunt one afternoon before collecting Burton from school, and I turned and just saw the most amazing vista before my eyes! It was like the heavens had literally opened up and rays of golden sunlight were streaming down through the clouds onto the river and the bridge and it just looked so beautiful! I had to capture it and I love how Jenson is up on the stile taking in his surroundings. It is views and days like this which make me really love and appreciate where I live.
28/06/12 – Burton went through a phase of just wanting to lie back and relax on this basket swing rather than sit up and be pushed really high and or fast! I love how relaxed he looks and how his eyes are closed and how the suns rays are shining down on my boy. I also love the bold red and blue colours on show. This photo made him appear older and yet over a year on he does not at all compared to how he looks now of course.
- When did you start doing the 365 photo project, and why?
I started on 1st January 2012 after seeing TheBoyandMe complete her first year at the end off 2011. I watched with interest and a mixture of regret and envy that I had not joined in during 2011 too, as I loved the fact that she had 365 photos showing her son change and grow day by day. This is what spurred me on to participate as my blog is a record, a collection of memories about my boys, so what better way to encapsulate this then by keeping a photo a day diary.
- Why did you decide to continue the project for a second year?
It's like an addiction, you cannot stop! I loved, and indeed love, looking back at what we got up to last year and this year and seeing how much the boys have changed. I take several photos a day of the boys anyway, so continuing to showcase them on my blog is not a problem and I like doing it. I decided to blog a weekly post this year as opposed to a daily posting last year, which I have preferred doing and will continue to do going forward.
I also wanted to improve on my photographs from last year because some of them are shocking really, due to the quality of the camera I had (an older version of a smart phone) and taking a lot of indoor photographs. It does not matter to me because they were a daily snapshot into our lives, but I know that the photos I took outside and take outside now are the ones which are the most striking – the better light and colour and I feel show my boys and their characters off best.
- What's the best bit about doing a 365 photo project?
Quite a few actually:
- being able to watch my boys grow and change before my eyes
- think about how I can capture them in the best way
- think about how I can turn an ordinary simple moment into a more exciting capture – like taking a photo of the boys playing with their toys but take it looking through the window of the farm or castle for example, to give it a more interesting angle
- being part of a community. At the start of the year there are a lot of people who link up, but half way through the year most drop out and it is the same people who carry on. It is those lovely bloggers who I feel I know so well now. It's a wonderful little group and I enjoy seeing their projects evolve too.
- Are there times when you've wanted to give up, why? What kept you going?
No, not once. I do not find it a chore – how could I find taking a photo of my boys an effort or hard work?
- What tips would you give to anyone who wants to start a 365 project?
Just take photos of a subject/subjects that really interests you and that way you won't get bored or feel like giving up easily. Remember why you are doing the project and even if you do not get any comments or as many as you would like, does that matter? I take the photos for me, as a record of my boys growing up, and to remind me and show them what we got up to during a certain day/week/month/year; if I get nice things said about my photographs then that is a bonus and a complement.
- Anything else you'd like to add?
I would like to thank TheBoyandMe (awww shucks Jenny) for inspiring me to join in with Project 365. Not only does it give me an amazing back catalogue of memories but it spurs me on to take, I hope, better photographs and keep them interesting. Afterall, I am just a Mum with her smart phone capturing a moment she has shared with her children; I am not a photography expert. But that's the beauty of this linky – anyone can join in because anyone can take a photo which means something to them.
Can you make every day photographs capture a special moment like Mummy Mishaps does?
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Please pop back next Thursday when I introduce the globetrotting and nomadic empire of A Kilt and a Camera.
