Lessons in What Not to Do: Getting “Mary-ed”

 

 

 

 

Last week I had the opportunity to do my first engagement “session” for Mary and Bill.  I did my homework.  Lots of homework.  Came up with a few ideas and things I would like to try, but most of all I was hoping – praying – not to screw it up.  We went to two locations, the abandoned rock house a just down the road and the green space around the corner.  Time was a factor so I’d rather snap than waste precious minutes driving.

 

The old house was great.  I’d love to officially get permission to trespass.  Did I say trespass?  I mean, observe the beauty at close range.  Multiple phone calls, a few neighbor visits and still no luck getting hold of the older gent.  Plead ignorance and beg for forgiveness, right? 

 

It was around one o’clock in the afternoon and the rock walls of the house face south.  Not the greatest lighting situation and it shows.  I’d love to try again in the early morning/late evening when the sun is just below/above the horizon.  Any willing victims out there?  Lesson learned, be more mindful of the light.

 

As always, the green space was a treasure trove of backgrounds.  On Mothers’ Day, I found a that our mega-bag of hotdog buns had sprouted and suggested that we feed the ducks, giving me the a chance to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather and make mental notes of the best settings.  Creek, boulders, trees, flowering bushes and green grass – what more could I ask for?

 

Things went really well, well… I think they went well despite my jitters.  Bill and Mary were great; cool as a cucumber and willing to do most everything I asked no matter how crazy it seemed.  It’s a whole different world taking pictures of people who can sit still longer than two seconds without squirming, picking their noses and all together vacating the framed shot.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the kiddos.  They have the best natural shots. 

 

Yeah, things went well – that is until I slid myself waist deep into the creek and then some.  Of course I was totally up for it.  It was my idea.  I’m already a major dork so taking it one step further isn’t much of a jump.  Like the difference between lilac and periwinkle, it’s still lavender.  I suppose it isn’t so much a lesson in what not to do as it is to just be prepared to get a little messy.  And on a side note, mid-rise jeans when wet morph into low-rise.  Keeping my pants hiked up was a challenge, kind of like the days of the ‘hook’.  You girls know what I mean.   Just F.Y.I. if you’re planning to jump in a creek with your clothes on anytime soon.

 

So we finished up the last of the shots, I couldn’t think of anything more and after two hours I think we all were a little tired.  The three of us started heading back to the car from the middle of the green space trail when I discovered that my keys were missing.  Two black headed, chunky-chip keys, a host of house/church keys, two large rings, a key fob for the Yukon and some how I missed placed all of that.  I checked my camera bag, no glory.  The reflector bag… no luck.  By now my jeans were sticky and there was no way the lot could be shoved into my pancake pockets.  Panic starts setting in, “oh crap” was right. 

 

The first spastic thought that jerks my mind is calling in the troops (you know who you all are) for an emergency extraction.  Good thing Bill reminded me to take my phone out of my front pocket as the water crept up to my hips.  It still works despite chucking it to shore, I can still call.  Unwilling to admit I’m a complete and utter idiot, I pushed the S.O.S. to the end of the line and tried not to sprint back to the the creek side location where I decided to take a swim.  No keys. 

 

Mary said that she’d return to our first locale and check there while Bill and I kept looking.  I should probably reiterate the fact that we were on a short time schedule, that Bill’s flight left at six and it was almost four.  Shortly after, we followed in her footsteps to find her heading towards us and shaking her head.  I was closer to making that phone call.  Checked the rocks, checked the trees.  “Are these it?”  Mary asked, holding up my current bane of existence.

 

Feeling about as bright as a burnt out bulb, I took them home, picked Miss Is up from a very “charitable” sitter and retreated back into my little hidey-hole of the world.  I hadn’t heard from the boys so I was hoping to find them engrossed in a video game or cartoon.  I guessed right and for the record, they had called.  It just happened to be during the frantic throws of stupidity.

 

Adding injury to insult, I slipped off my new pink slipper shoes to find bloody heels and swelling blisters.  Another lesson learned.  Don’t wear spiffy let alone new shoes no matter how put-together you want to look. 

 

Thanks Mary and Bill for letting me go snap-happy!

 

(Click picture below of a slideshow link.)