Families laughing and splashing in the creek. Dreamy sunshine peeking through golden sunflowers. All the wonderful things that make Summer fun.
This Summer I decided to reminisce on some of the details that made my childhood. Growing up, I always enjoyed growing sunflowers to enter in the local fair. I never managed to grow the biggest one to win, plants involve more watering and tlc than I had time or desire for even back then HAH! Even so, I still grew the sunflowers every year for quite a few years before I started entering all the photo contests I could.
I tried to find a location to offer sunflower photos last year, and my neighbors were kind enough to allow me to use their patch. This year I made up my mind to plant my very own sunflower patch in my yard. I figure, I have the space, might as well use it! For some reason though even the best laid plans don't always work out. It could be my lack of a green thumb, or maybe the seeds were planted too close, for some reason none of my sunflowers grew as tall as they were supposed to. They were the perfect height for kiddos though, so my nieces were able to put them to good use. For adults though, by a stroke of sheer luck, my sister's garden had been overgrown with sunflowers. I was thankful to be able to offer some photos there with the taller blooms, and the wonderful people that chose to do this quite enjoyed themselves. Next year I already have plans to greatly expand the sunflower patch and plant them so they bloom for many weeks, hopefully I will develop more of a green thumb by then!
The really big hit this Summer though, was the Creek minis. These were an absolute blast, for both my clients and myself! It's somewhat ironic really, when I was a girl scout a long, long time ago, my least favorite day of camp was when we did the creek walk. I hated not being able to see my feet, and was so terrified there would be a snake. I am still afraid of snakes, but I have grown to really love being in the creek. I may not have done much kayaking this year, but I sure did a lot of splashing around in the creek! Between taking photos in the creek and taking my dogs and nieces to play in it constantly, I was there several times a week for awhile. My dogs took no time at all to learn what the words "wanna go to the crick" meant or what type of clothing I wore to go there. They would hear those words or see me change and start going crazy with excitement, and then when we would pick up my nieces with all their buckets and nets to catch crayfish, we were just a vehicle buzzing with joy and excitement!
All of my clients who came out for the creek photos were such good sports and had a blast.! They didn't mind when I asked them to sit in the water in their nice outfits, they laughed it up when they splashed around at each other. And as a huge plus, I didn't fall with my camera in the water (which could easily happen because I tend to just move and not look when I am in photo mode!) We all enjoyed searching for crayfish, cooling off in the Summer heat, and spending some time out in the country just enjoying the peace and quiet. It was truly a wonderful way to spend some time and get photos with all the joy and love that families and couples shared with one another. I loved watching how the ones that were more steady at walking in the water would help those who were feeling like they would fall. Friends, families, and lovers alike all had a great time with these sessions.
Sometimes you just have to take a trip down memory lane and enjoy the simple things in life, I think that's what made these sessions so great. They were simple, not a ton of props, just enjoying the scenery and the atmosphere together. I loved being able to take these for everyone, and I am definitely looking forward to more next year!
