Standing Still

"Now freeze!"  That's what we usually say to our subjects when taking their pictures.  This week we turned the tables and challenged ourselves to stay still.   Here's what we thought...

From Vicki:
I've been thinking all week long on where this hula hoop project should start.  Backyard, front yard, at the park?  I knew that I wanted to photograph trees, so that was a start.  It's a little weird, I know, to like photographing trees.  But I love them.  And I love that I am surrounded by them at home.  My love affair with trees began when I was 10 years old. I planted a cedar tree on Arbor Day.  To me they signify strength, endurance, life.  And so I decided to have the first Hautop toss my hula hoop in the front yard.  It took a couple of tries but it finally landed in a spot that Mommy could stand in.  They sky was particularly blue on Saturday and the fall foliage is, to me, breath-taking.  The kids and I spent the morning chasing each other and tossing leaves.  We collected a few for an art project and sorted piles based on color.  Hey every now and then I stick a little lesson in the day, it makes me feel better about drinking wine in the middle of the afternoon.  :)  So here they are, my tree pictures.  Oh and as for the challenge of being stuck in one place to take pictures....it was tough.  I wanted so badly to follow my kids around and snap up close pictures.  But turns out I like the way my images developed.  The hula hoop made things happen more naturally.  I stood in that one place and let life evolve around me.  In some ways like a tree.  Standing tall and strong.....

 Images above by Vicki Hautop

From Erin:
Tis the season!!!  I thought that it would be fun this week to take the assignment on location to the Raleigh Christmas parade.  Attending this event has become an annual tradition for our family.   We are fortunate that my husband's office is along the parade route so we have easy parking, an indoor reprieve from the cold, and prime viewing!!  Yes, we are so lucky!!!  So, as the crowd began to grow I grabbed one of the chairs lined up along the street in front of the office, camera in hand.  As an aside, I did not actually throw a hula hoop in the air (I am not sure the other parade patrons would have appreciated being hit by a flying hula hoop :-)   So, I used my chair as the hula hoop and all of the images are from that vantage point.  I did find it frustrating being "stuck" in the chair.  The kids were in front of me for most of the parade and I desperately wanted to get up to be able to catch their smiling faces.  In the end, I think I was able to get some fun images and appreciated finally having a chance to stay in one place.  As an aside, I would like to share some comic relief from the parade.  I would direct your attention to the two side by side vertical images.  So, my daughter decided to spend the second half of the parade pouting (only thing that finally snapped her out of her mood was seeing the big man at the end of the parade).  Everything was going great until...it started raining candy.  Ok, it wasn't actually raining candy but people were walking along with the parade handing out information and some were throwing candy to all the excited kiddos.  Great in theory but terrible in execution, especially when your kiddo was always a day late and a dollar short in catching the candy.  I have to laugh looking back because you would think that someone had told her that her dog died, she looks so pitiful.  And how bout that lollipop in her mouth, why in the world would she need more candy!!!  I just have to shake my head and smile, the joys of parenting!!
Hope that you enjoy sharing in our fun holiday tradition and are getting excited about the beginning of your holidays.

Images above by Erin Hautop

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  Take Two is taking a break this week.  We will probably post a pic or two from our family vacation next Monday, but there won't be a challenge.  As always, send us your comments!  Or email us at hautopblog@gmail.com.  We'd love to hear from you!