When you all see the photos in my posts, you probably never think about what led up to that photo. All the behind the scenes shenanigans that happened just to get that ONE PERFECT photo. Well, in some cases, a couple of perfect photos. Wait, no. I lie. One perfect photo, with a couple of usable photos. Basically, it’s always nice not involving kids, or pets. However, even when those little extras aren’t in the photos, there are still roadblocks to overcome!

Behind the Scenes with November Sunflower: the Perfect Shot (that never happens)

When I start to write, I always have this image in my head of the perfect shot I’d love to add to the piece. A photo that would bring the words I’ve written to a higher level. It’s always the goal, and almost never happens. Full disclosure: I lack the proper equipment.

Mama Sunflower has a Canon EOS Rebel T3i camera. There are no props. No other equipment. It’s just me, and my camera. Most of the time, I’ve got to get crazy creative when taking photos. I have no props to help improve the photo. There’s no tabletop photo tent. No backdrops. I’ve got no portable lamps. Umbrella for lighting? Yeah, right. Seriously, it’s me and my Canon. Every photo I take starts with just my DSLR and whatever the subject of the photo happens to be. There’s just the lens the camera came with, too. Nothing extra.

Lack of equipment is one thing, but add into the mix two kids, plus a dog, and you’ve got instant aggravation!

On any given day we could run into a multitude of issues, from attitudes to weather:

• The Boy doesn’t want to be in photos.
• Same kid will be in the photo, but doesn’t wish to smile.
• Once again, The Boy will be in the photo, but insists on making a crazy serial killer smile in every shot.
• The Boy moves with each camera click making every photo blurry, unless Mama Sunflower remembers the Sports Setting catches every frame of movement.
• Little Miss blinks, because the flash bothers her eyes.
• Mama Sunflower turns the flash off, and Little Miss still blinks because SHE THINKS the flash is coming.
• The lighting is terrible. Since prepping takes forever, darkness sets in, so natural light isn’t an option. Turning on every lamp in the house makes horrible shadows everywhere.
• It’s crazy cold, but the outdoor lighting is much better, so the kids freeze while you attempt to get the shot while Little Miss keeps blinking (even though there’s no flash going off,) and The Boy is making serial killer smiles, and when he’s not doing that, he’s got a sad face.
• The dog keeps walking around and steps into the frame EVERY.DAMN.TIME.
• Mama Sunflower screams at the kids to stop letting the dog out, or we’ll be out in the freezing cold forever.
• No one is looking at the camera.
• When you want natural shots, but once the camera is out, Little Miss is already posing for you.
• Insist she just be natural, don’t look at Mom with the camera, just do what you’re doing, and STILL – she poses.
• The camera flash has to be used, because it’s late at night, no light is anywhere, and the flash keeps reflecting off the product you’re taking a photo of.
• You keep catching your own likeness in the packaging of the product you’re photographing, because your lens is garbage, and you’ve got to be close up to get a shot.
• Mama Sunflower starts drinking, so all the photos are blurry because she’s tipsy and no longer cares about photos. Those hiccups just don’t help, at all.

Bursting the bubble

No one out there taking photos wants anyone to know what the first 100 attempts look like, because that’s not “sexy.” I get it. We want to keep the “mystery alive,” and never let the bloopers out. Screw that noise, I’m all about full disclosure. We’ve got some humdingers, and let me tell you, I’m not afraid to share some of them right here, right now, so everyone gets a sense of what goes on Behind the Scenes of November Sunflower!