I have had a few photo sessions at our Target Photo Studio in the past. I’ve always been pleased with the work as it compares to the price. It’s no professional studio with an actual photographer, but for my typical budget and for our needs as a family, it has served us well.
They periodically send me email coupons for various services they’re testing out or backdrops they’re introducing. I rarely even pay attention to them, because I really only use photo studios for group/family type shots. This week, however, the coupon featured some small girls in fairy costumes. It advertised that they were bringing in costumes and for about 30 dollars or so, you could bring your daughter in for photographing around fake flowers and a floral backdrop. I considered it for a moment because it gave you a LOT of photos for $30. But then it occurred to me: I can buy the costume myself and just take my daughter to the Botanical Gardens for photos.
And let me tell you - that is the BEST DAMN IDEA I’VE EVER HAD.
Friday night we went to Target and actually found a butterfly/fairy costume - which is even better in my opinion. NikkiZ loved wearing it and we spent three hours this morning going around the Botanical Gardens taking pictures. I took 320 pictures. I’ve gone through them a few times and can honestly tell you that they are freakin’ AWESOME. I assure you that by the time I’m done editing and uploading them to flickr, you will wish you had never seen a picture of my daughter in a Butterfly costume.
I didn’t really have time tonight to do much, so I just picked out a batch that I loved just so I’d have something to show you. I’ve lightened/boosted/or cropped these - but nothing else. The weather was great and my daughter behaved perfectly with the promise of time in the fountains when we finished.
I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. And I hope that you won’t get so sick of seeing me upload the rest of the batch in the next week that you break up with me. I will spare you the pain of showing EVERY photo here, so you’ll have to actually go to my flickr page for the others throughout the week. Remember…if you can make it 11 more days, I’ll probably start photographing my new kid for awhile, assuring you a break from my daughter, the Butterfly.
I’m starting to consider moving to your town just for the botanical gardens. Is that insane? I didn’t think so either.
Great shots of NikkiZ in the adorable costume.
Beautiful photos; Great idea!
(And I totally want those shoes!)
Okay those are WAY better than anything you could EVER get at Target. (No offense Target - I still heart you.)
What an amazing idea!! Those look GREAT! I bet she had a ton of fun doing it as well!
ADORABLE! That was a great idea!
Great idea! I can’t wait to see more, she looks totally adorable and the colors are great. So cute. Can’t wait to see the new one, which will undoubtedly be adorable as well. What kind of camera do you use?
oh, my holy hell, is that ever adorable! She looks like a little forest fairy!
Oh, and thanks ever so much for turning me on to PW. I am hooked.
you’re a freakin’ genius
They’re wonderful! And you can’t replicate the natural beauty of natural light and natural plants. Well done!
Oh those are PRECIOUS! I love them!
dude. you are SO my role model. i can’t even begin to comprehend how you maintain this level of care for yourself. and for your children…i mean, you’re going out of your way to buy nikkiz a butterfly outfit so you can go even more out of your way to take pictures of her at the botanical gardens? and you’re going to give birth to a whole new person in 10 days?
i DO NOT want to EVER hear you calling yourself a lazy mother again.
you, miss, are A-FREAKING-MAZING.
seriously.
i don’t even care how ridiculous i sound. i just feel like i need to beat you upside the head with that sentence: YOU ARE AMAZING.
please, take a deep breath and recognize that.
i am in awe of you. i hope one day i can be half the mom that you are.
Such a pretty butterfly!!! LOVE the pictures!
That looks like such a fun day! I flipped through your pictures (well, some of them
on Flickr, I love the one of her leaning over the bridge with her little foot sticking out. So cute.
I’m not sure if you’ve been there before, but it occurred to me that you might enjoy playing around at http://animoto.com/. You can upload pictures and choose music and they basically produce a short music video for you. It looks really professional and it is very easy. It’s a fun way to display and send pictures when you have a lot of them!
Cheers!
It does make sense to do it yourself when you have the equipment. And plus the outfit would have been a lot cheaper than the $30 Target were charging. The photos look great :).
Gorgeous photos! What a great idea!
She is just beautiful!
Those are beautiful pictures! What a great idea! They’re way better than professional ones, because they’re actually outside for real, instead of just in front of a backdrop! Awesome!
I’m so stealing your idea. Happy Mother’s Day!
NikkiZ is so beautiful!!!!! She rocks!!! (especially in the butterfly/fairy costume!!!!)
Happy Mothers Day!
Lovely! Maybe I should dust off of that Kangaroo outfit and head to the zoo.
Happy Mother’s Day, Miss Z.
I love your idea. I’m surprised you were able to find a costume at this time of year … maybe they stock stuff like that for little girls year-round? Anyway, great pictures.
A-DOR-able!! And you TOTALLY saved money. Rock on!
That is so awesome! and adorable! and creative! It must have been so much fun for her! I might just try it myself.