Yup. I am visiting Susie, Wessel and 14-month old Willa outside Johannesburg for three weeks.
Willa is a chatterbox. She doesn't speak English yet, and Wes says it is not Afrikaans,
so it must be Willanese. She is also a professional-quality animal sound imitator.
Visiting Willa has increased my admiration for fellow blogger Bob Crowe, who regularly publishes
pristine photographs of his young granddaughters. Bob, how do you get clear photos of a
perpetual motion machine? Do you photoshop out the banana on their eyelids, the
smashed peas on their cheeks and . . . forgive me! . . . the snot dripping from their little noses?
Willa is a sweet, happy and adorable little girl and I am obviously mad about her. But, you will probably get what Susie calls "realistic" images of Willa from time to time, not idealized ones.
Just what I was waiting for...!! She is what we like to call "adorable"---whether the photos are idealised or not. The second one, a foodie photo, certainly is realistic. An aside: here in Washington Island, miles away, I met a man from South Africa who escaped during Apartheid. Because his accent is so heavy, I need to talk to him at greater length to get the full story. Enjoy SA--my memories of it are still quite clear and wonderful!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweetie!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely a cutie!
ReplyDeleteShe is a perfect subject for your camera even with a milk mustache. Enjoy your stay!
ReplyDeleteSo sweet, jack! Enjoy your visit!!
ReplyDeleteJack, you always find the cutest models for your portraits.
ReplyDeleteI think there may be too much food to Photoshop out of that image - unless you plan on giving her a full beard! She looks just great to me as she is.
ReplyDeleteShe looks lovely even with a food-smeared face. Make the most of it. There soon comes a time when they avoid the camera -or at least pull a silly face!
ReplyDeleteCatching up with you, Jack. Nice to see you spending time with Willa. She is a beauty and there is nothing wrong with realistic images! Real life is where it's at!!
ReplyDeleteIdealized photos are all good and well. But since you don't get to cuddle her regularly I'd say the realistic ones are just as special in their own way. Reaching for the photographer with a face smeared with food? Priceless.
ReplyDeleteJack, I think you did a pretty good job here. If I have any tips, they are to to use high ISO so you can keep your shutter speed fast, use noise reduction software as necessary, use exposure lock and shoot, shoot, shoot. I call it the big fishing net school of photography - throw it wide and you are bound to get some keepers.
ReplyDeleteAnd she is gorgeous. My older one spoke Madelinian for quite some time. The transition to English is going smoothly.