Sometimes inspiration comes quick.  Sometimes I just get a picture in my head, sometimes I see a prop, accessory, or outfit and get an idea.  Sometimes it is just watching how my girls are playing and their imaginations that feed my creativity.  With this shoot I saw the ears in a catalog (Pottery Barn Kids) and started brainstorming.  I saw the romper at Gap Kids, and the ideas came.  I had to wait on this shoot for awhile.  Originally it was going to be done before Easter– bunny themes work well with that.  But, without going into too many details, it wasn’t until this past week that I was able to get the girls and me exploring Upcountry in Maui and the beautiful lush lands of Kula.  I love the peace that just comes with being in Kula, and my mind goes into an automatic admiring-beauty mode– while enjoying the cooler temperatures on the island.

I made the mask for the shoot and was pleased with how it turned out (canvas fabric, acrylic paint, modge podge and a link online for the template that I’m checking on and will update when I find.)  It was meant to be a deer, but is more like a deer-fox, which I was totally fine with and added to the overall whimsy of the photoshoot.

So here are two sisters, girls I love, my daughters.  And they really do play together, read together, laugh together, run together, give hugs– every day.  They also argue, disagree, and work out what being best friends really means– and it isn’t always pretty.  This is a fun, whimsical memory of their childhood– the best parts of childhood right now captured in a story through photography.  I tied in The Velveteen Rabbit, because of a few reasons.  One, it is a classic children’s book, and this photo shoot was about being a classic kids’ shoot.  Another reason is that it was one of my favorite’s as a child, so it is great for my girls too.  And then also because the copy of the book is an older edition, the one I actually had when I was a child, just adds more sentiment and meaning.  The stuffed animal bunny isn’t her most favorite, but is well-loved and quite perfect for the theme.  And the pink blanket is from her bed, so that ties in too.  I love when the props are simple and personal and enhance without overpowering.  Plus I’m in Maui– so it is pretty beautiful almost anywhere and there is opportunity to use the natural beauty to help tell the story.  Also, there are no snakes on the island (one of Hawaii’s best perks ever!) so we can walk through tall grass and hide and seek without every worrying about being surprised by a snake.  (This is a big deal, really– we seemed to attract rattlesnakes when we lived in Westlake Village, California, and they would try to play where my kids play or wait on our front doorstep.)  We had a lot of fun together, and minus the massive allergy attack I ended up getting, we thoroughly enjoyed playing in the lush landscape of Kula.

I’d love to hear what you think.

 

 

I’m so excited to print these portraits and put them in a beautiful album; and I’m still working on which to pick for printing for the wall.  Which would you pick?