29 April 2014

royal hoopla

My girl and I went to the coolest birthday party last weekend.  One with a real live princess. And games and music and sparkly prizes.  It's pretty important when you are the only girl, growing up with two brothers, and a hermit introvert mom, in a town that has polar vortex winters keeping you inside for months... where was I going with this?  Oh yeah, it's important when you're a girl like that, to have some shared girl bonding experiences.  And she got them at this party.  Plenty of pink and purple and ruffles and glitter.  It was awesome. Although, PS- she STILL would not let me "do her hair." It was ugly- both the battle over the hair, and the final result.

Anyway, at the party I tried to take pictures for my friend, and since she was using her point-and-shoot camera (with the flash) I decided to use my camera on manual and NOT use my flash.  I hate how washed-out and one dimensional pictures can be using my big ole' on-camera flash.  And I wanted to take amazing pictures for her, of the sweet and precious party she threw for her little girl.

Did I mention that the party was in a closed garage? With two single lightbulb fixtures with low watt bulbs?  It was a clean, beautifully decorated garage, but the light was so low for my camera.  I cranked up the ISO and dialed the aperture to wide open, but even then the shutter speed was not close to being able to handle the motion of the girls. Most of my pictures were grainy AND blurry.  Bummer.  For a few I finally relented and used the flash.  Anyways, all that to say- there are still two pictures I treasure, in their grainy- or flat- glory. Even as an aspiring photographer, I am learning that a photo can be prized not for its technical perfection or even artistic beauty- but for the memory it captures.

This picture is of my princess, posing with Princess Rapunzel.  I asked my girl later what she was feeling when this picture was taken.  "Sad?" I'd suggested. "Mad? Nervous? Okay?" I tried to give her the right emotional vocabulary to explain to me why, in the party of her dreams, she was so blank faced most of the time.  She can be such a mystery to me!  Her answer to what she was feeling?  "Kinda happy, Mom."  Sheesh.  A mystery she shall remain.

This other picture was taken after the girls had been handed these chocolate princess crown pops.  They were told that the chocolate had been baked with fairy dust in it, and that when baked, fairy dust gives you the power to make one wish. They were instructed to hold it to their heart, close their eyes, and make a wish.  All the girls obediently followed through and made their wishes.  Only my girl has still wishing, five minutes later.  I thought she'd never open her eyes, never stop muttering to herself!  After the party, I asked her what she had been wishing for so forcefully.  She said, "I was wishing that you could have a birthday party too, Mom." Cue me tearing up.  We'd talked a lot recently about the party coming up, and about her own (very) future birthday party plans.  She's been fascinated with the way that kids get elaborate decoration and treat filled parties, and adults typically do not.  So that's what she wished, for me, with her one wish.  That girl is not just a mystery, she is a beautiful one. Despite the hair.



My princess with the birthday girl.  That's a lot of royal bling!

1 comment:

  1. Her face in that first picture made me laugh out loud! Her "kind of happy" face is precious. And I always live her undone hair, it screams "freedom" to me, if only I could care so little about my hair. Think of all the time (and money) she'll save if she keeps that attitude up!

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