The paparazzi...

Well, when people are more used to seeing you with a camera in front of your face than not, you tend to get a lot of this...talk to the hand. Seriously. I cannot tell you how many pictures just like these I have in my little Mac here. Tons. And, I really don't know who is worse. It is probably a close tie between Charlie (who, may I remind you, bought me the camera!) and Bradyn.

Okay, Charlie, I can kind of understand. He wasn't raised with a camera in his face like me and Bradyn were. I had my dad, and Bradyn had me AND my dad! But, it's a new thing for him. However, as long as we have been together, I've had a camera in his face. I mean, come-on! Have you seen you, Charlie?

But, Bradyn, well, she has no excuse. She's just so dang cute! And, she has had to deal with it from birth! Much like me. Only, boy, if I were to do this to MY dad, I'd be in big trouble. Why you ask? Because when I was a little girl, we were dealing with FILM. You know, that stuff you have to be real careful not to expose to light? That you kept in your fridge! FILM=MONEY. Now, my dad is, and always has been, a banker. I don't need to go any further with that explanation, now do we? Money is important. So, me and my brothers smiled and acted like we liked each other - or we got a knuckle on the head. Even if we looked like this:

Okay, so I wasn't exactly shy about smiling here. But, dang - if I had gotten a load of those knobby knees, yikes! I'd have been crying! But, in all fairness, my father DID brainwash me into believing that I wasn't the gawky redheaded buck-toothed goofball that I actually was. I thought I was as pretty as Dorothy Hamill.

Even the baby is getting in on the "talk to the hand" action. And, when she is not obviously and manually opposed to my photosession, she is oblivious to me completely. Like, I have YELLED at the nut to look at me. Jumped up and down. Shook my bu-twah (as Charlie puts it.) "Anna.... Anna.... ANNA!!!!!! Look at Mama! Hey Peanut! Helllllooooooooo! The isty, bitsy, spider.... How much is that doggie in the window..." UGH! Seriously. Until, finally, she just breaks down in tears from sensory overload...much like me on a Friday afternoon after toting Morgan and her girlfriends all over town with any number of Taylor Swift songs being serenaded to me the entire time.

So, to try another method. Distraction. Or, maybe focused distraction. How to get her to be distracted by something that is WHERE I WANT HER TO LOOK! Tried this (see below) with only about 5 minutes success. After an initial curiosity that probably went something like this, (My gosh, the woman has lost her mind!), she quickly returned to the 15 year old attitude of indifference. What can I say? She's an old soul.

Okay, so who wins the competition for best model? The one who just gives it their all every single time? I mean I don't even have to ask! They get in the shot any way they can, no matter what is going on. Almost, to the point of annoyance. I know you're thinking it is my sweet little 15 year old daughter, Morgan. Probably because she has not been mentioned yet. And, though Morgan is mostly a willing participant, she has had her days. But, the winner of the Camera Hog Competition: Jackson. The Donkey. Yes, you heard me correctly, The Donkey. I frequently take clients out to my parents' house which is on a few acres near my house. They have some sheep and now, a cute little donkey named Jackson. And boy, does he crack us up!

This picture is entitled, "I Had the Strangest Dream: there was a baby, and bubbles, and a donkey!" He is becoming sort of an institution in the Kim Jay Everyday Photography business. I have actually had people ask for me to include him in some photos. Well, he is happy to oblige, although I think he secretly enjoys the limelight solo. Last week, he stuck his head in the tire swing just after I removed a 2 year old from it. It was the funniest thing I've ever seen, so funny, in fact...I FORGOT TO TAKE A PICTURE!!!!!!!!!!