Christiana Childers Photography Blog

When you start a shoot, everyone is a little stiff and unsure with frozen smiles and a fear of getting their clothes dirty.  But once the kids realize that I’m just there to play, they often have a lot of fun.  “Hey, take a picture of this!” “Hey, watch me do this!”  Here’s what the boys wanted me to take a photo of in the last shoot “Hey, my brother wants you to take a picture of him jumping over me and then crop me out.” I think I like it better with the brother in, don’t you?

Boo!

Those who know me know I’m a huge U2 fan so I’m feeling sorry for myself that I’m missing their concert yet again, which is happening tonight.  I just feel like I can never justify the expense of it but then am always so sad when I don’t go.  What to do?!  Anyway, they had a live stream of the concert at the Rose Bowl on Sunday and so my friend Ryan had the idea of projecting it and watching it.  It was pretty darn good, actually.  I got to sit on my comfy couch with my dog and didn’t fight traffic on the way out.  I know it’s not better than being there but I’m trying to make myself feel better, OK?!

Ryan and Bono (taken with iPhone…just wanted to let you know that so you don’t judge my photography on this one… )  -

Yesterday I had one of those mornings.  You know the kind that you reserve your big swear words for?  That’s right “krauss* !” …the big one.  I don’t know why I get so rattled.  I shouldn’t.  I’m not trying to cure cancer or anything.  And, to be fair, that’s what I should reserve the swear words for – “Krauss you cancer!”  Anyway, it was just a frustrating waste of time.  Here’s what happened.  I told my brother I’d meet him in Seattle to photograph some of his latest jobs (he is a fantastic cabinet maker – www.tamarackwoodworks.net if you need a new kitchen or custom built-ins, he’s your guy! And I’m not just saying that ‘cause he’s my brother! More on that later…) in Eastlake and Queen Anne.  So I loaded up all my gear, dropped off the girls at school and headed over the bridge to Seattle (in morning traffic, btw.  Krauss.) and got most of the way across the lake when I discovered that I’d gathered all the gear except my camera! Krauss! So still had to go over the bridge as you can’t pull a ‘U’y on Lake Washington and headed back through traffic to home (side note: phone almost dead, car almost out of gas and blinking for an oil change #&^!* Krauss!).  Get home and fly into the office where I think I left the camera and it isn’t there.  Panic – “Where did I put it?! “What’s wrong with me?!” “Do I have cancer?!!!” KRAUSS! Do you want to know where it was? IN THE CAR!!! I had thrown my giant bag over is so I didn’t see it.  Krauss.  Krauss.  Krauss.  Back to Seattle.  Get to where I need to be 1 hour late.  My bro is meeting me there after picking up the key for the first shoot at his office.  He gets to the office and the key isn’t there.  So now I’m in Seattle waiting while he is searching for the key.  Sigh.  It was one of those mornings.

But do you ever find a surprise in mornings like this that make it if not just OK but even worth it?  Where God is just telling you to chill out?!  It turned out like that for me.  First of all, drop yourself anywhere in Seattle and within a two block radius you’ll be able to find coffee.  Good coffee!  And I do love coffee.  So I found some coffee and headed back down to the water to wait for my brother.  My frustration from the morning slipped away as I sipped coffee and I was treated to this view.

If all the other stuff didn’t happen I would have efficiently made it though my morning without getting the time to smell if not the roses at least the coffee!  Plus I saw 4 Bald Eagles at close range.  Well, they were the same two Bald Eagles that I saw on my way back in forth over 520 but still.  How often does that happen?

Now a quick note about my bro’s work.  Here are a couple of photos I took of his work for someone who is well known locally in the NFL scene!  My brother’s company did lots of custom built-ins and cabinetry for him and his family – here are just a couple examples (kitchen and closet).

Not bad, huh?!  Oh yeah.  He’s good.

*krauss became adopted as a “bad word” when my daughter was telling me about the bad words she knew from school (she was in 1st grade at the time – before we lived in Ireland obviously!) - “shut up” and “stupid” being a couple she had heard and then she knew another one that she didn’t want to tell me.  I said “It’s OK, Honey.  You’re not going to get into trouble.  I just want to know what you know so I can explain what they mean and why we don’t say them.”  And then I braced myself.  With a little more encouragement she bravely said “krauss”.  So I replied, “Oh yeah.  We don’t say that.”

My husband was singing that particular Christmas song to be funny as we pulled into our driveway from our weekend in the San Juan Islands.  But Summer to me IS the most wonderful time of the year.  I just love being outside and not being cold and wet.  Here are some of my favorite photos from the weekend.

Does that say Summer or what!

Check out this view!

Don’t you just want to climb in and sit by the fire?!  Hi Ed and Alice!

The perfect roasted marshmellows…

And the S’mores -

Ah, Summer.  What’s not to love?

This morning a did a huge post with the before and afters from Trading Graces but it must have been a bit too big so I’m trying to fix it and re-post.  Hang tight!  Hopefully it’ll be back soon.

In the meantime (because a post without photos is boring!) enjoy this photo of Jamey (hope I’m spelling your name right!) the awesome electrician that worked all weekend long for Trading Graces -

In the wee hours of the morn on March 3rd, Ben couldn’t sleep so got up to do some work.  This was the morning that U2’s new album was released so when I got up, he had bought it, loaded it on my iPod (my U2 iPod – yes, i’m  a nerd) and was playing it when I stumbled into the kitchen to make coffee.  He loves me.  The sad thing is, is that I haven’t really had a chance to listen to it, really listen to it until this morning.  I wasn’t such a fan, to be honest, of what I had heard of it if the background of the Childers’ chaos.  It didn’t grab me like that last couple albums had.  That all changed today!  I finally put it in my ears while I was tidying up.  There are so many good lines in there!  Like “stop trying trying to help God across the street like a little old lady” or “my first cry, it was a joyful noise” and pretty much all of  “white as snow” is full of beautiful imagery.   I recommend it! 

Here’s me back in July giving him some suggestions for the upcoming new album. (Actually, this post is really just an excuse to brag…again…that I got to meet Bono! Still can’t believe it)