A Portrait Destined for Grandparents’ Walls

03-05-2015
A photo of a group of four barefoot children pose for a portrait on a couch in the woods.

Who’d have thunk that we’d stumble upon this couch in the middle of the woods?

Okay, okay, you got me. It took an enterprising mommy, a couple of muscular uncles, and one Ford Expedition to haul that couch out to Effie Yeaw Nature Center in my home city of Sacramento. It was totally worth it.

We ventured into the woods on this November afternoon expecting to emerge with a portrait of my own two children and their cousins. The right photo would go on to make to make a heart-melting Christmas gift for the grandparents. With all the parents in tow as my assistants and a backpack full of snacks, we were guaranteed success. Right?

I shared in a previous post that it can be tricky enough to snap a photo of one energetic child. It may surprise to you learn that these little angels are all quite spunky, especially my little boy. Oh, and four-month old infants often have trouble sitting upright…and listening to instruction. All this meant I was grateful for the heroic efforts of the parents to bribe, encourage, position, cajole, and goad the kids into place while I snapped photos. There may have been time-outs threatened. Lovingly.

After a couple of hours and several hundred photos, we headed home. When I reviewed the photos at home, I realized that I had failed. That is, I couldn’t find a single photo where all four kids looked precious at the same time. I contemplated calling everyone back together on another day to try again. But I stepped back from the ledge.

Thanks to the magic of Photoshop, I instead inserted an image of the littlest lady from another photo into this one. Alas, the secret is out and I don’t mind. I’m pretty pleased with the results of our hard work that day.

Shh…don’t tell the grandparents about the photoshopping. They’re busy enjoying their Christmas gift!


How have you averted disaster with the help of Photoshop?