The Picture Perfect Project {{5}} - From Behind the Lens of a 4-year Old

Not all that long ago I handed over our old Olympus camera to Marcus. The thing is basically indestructible, and waterproof. We gave him total artistic liberty to take as many pictures of whatever his little heart desired. Over the span of five days he racked up over 1,500 photos. Many of those were of every day objects around our house, but some he wanted to snap of Mommy, Daddy, and Julia, which I found to be the sweetest thing ever.

At first I was hesitant to put these pictures up. Many of the photos are without makeup or hair done, and one is personally quite intimate. While *I* might not think I looked presentable, Marcus *did*. I'm trying a bit harder to be more present in photos with my kids, so if these are what made Marcus happy, then so be it. I have a feeling when (if) he looks back on these pictures that he took he won't think, "Mommy sure should have done her hair!" Instead, I hope he remembers the joy he had while taking all the photos. And, I hope he thinks no matter how messy my hair, or how little make-up I wore, that I was pretty in his eyes. 

Selecting photos from 1,500+ was difficult so bear with me. But, this month's Picture Perfect Photos are as seen through the eyes of a 4-year old. 

The selfies:

I had to laugh when I saw these. The kiss face and super cheese kind of took me by surprise. The serious looks are so much more Marcus. And the flip flop shot - I have to say, I think it's adorable.

The everyday objects (there were hundreds, and hundreds, and hundreds of these):

If I had to guess, Scott will really appreciate the shot of the Jeep.

The food shots:

Marcus didn't do too shabby with some of these! I was actually kind of impressed with his skills.

The garden photos:

I love the pumpkin shot. P.S. That thing is still around - we've had it since Halloween...

The pets:

For some reason, getting all the parts of the animal into a photo was a bit of a challenge.

The pool:

These are some of my favorites! The bubbles, the shot of his swim trunks under the water, the angle he took of the chairs, and even the shot of his legs as he was lying out to warm up, I think they're all actually pretty great.

Pictures of Julia:

Being held, crawling, standing, playing. Marcus captured Julia exactly as she is in this phase of her life.

Pictures of Daddy:

Clearly Scott can take a serious photo.

Pictures of Mommy:

Marcus caught me during so much of my day-to-day routine. There were things captured that wouldn't normally be seen from behind a camera. I kind of love that he snapped these moments. Also. I clearly can't take a serious photo, either. 

Though none of these photos were taken by me (no one said the photos for this link up had to be taken by me!), and from a technical standpoint, there's nothing perfect about these pictures, I happen to think they're just right... Simply because Marcus loved what he saw from behind his lens.

From this month's project I took away a few things: 

1) Be more present in photos *with* my family, regardless of make-up or hair. 

2) Apparently Scott nor I can take a photo without sticking our tongues out. Oops.

3) Let the littles have some fun with a camera, you just never know what they'll capture. 

4) Everyday life can be kind of beautiful. 

Be sure to link up with us for this month's Picture Perfect Project!

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