Pittsburgh Wedding Photographer | Christina Montemurro » Children

He HATES two and a half.

Christina — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 11:55:05 +0000

My little guy is two and a half! When I told him this, he said, “I HATE two and a half. I’m NOT two and a half.” ??? Don’t ask. No idea.

Last week he was chattering like the chatterbox he is (at least when no strangers are around) one of the rhymes from school. It’s the one that goes “bubble gum, bubble gum in a dish. How many pieces do you wish?”

Then he asks me how many.

Me: Two.

Jonas: I HATE two!

Me: Uhhh… four?

Jonas: I hate four!

Me: Okay, Mr. Irrational, I give up.

The thing is, at two and a half, even something as weird as expressing hatred for poor innocent numbers is utterly adorable.

Seriously, look at this boy. I just want to reach right into the screen and give him a smooch! I just love this portrait. I saw this spot of beautiful light when we were at the water steps last week and asked Jonas if he’d sit for a minute. I loved the shade from the greens with lots of light reflecting off the sidewalk and war memorial on the opposite side.

My little graduate

Christina — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 11:19:45 +0000

Yep, my little Leo is not all that little anymore. Even though it doesn’t seem that long ago that he looked like this:

And I spent what seemed like days on the phone telling everyone I knew how adorable and sweet my little baby was…

Now it’s five years later, and Leo has learned all that preschool can teach him. And so two weeks ago, we attended his graduation.

I suspect that before I had kids, I would have found the idea of a preschool graduation a little silly. 5-year-olds in caps and gowns? A 40-minute ceremony? What could they do that would take that long. a valedictorian speech? Play musical chairs?

But since it was not just any preschool graduation, but my own Leo’s graduation, I couldn’t be happier that he and his classmates had the opportunity to celebrate all that they’d learned. Most of the kids had been going to school together for years, and the prospect of finishing up there and moving on to kindergarten was a pretty big deal. But more than anything, Leo in a cap and gown? CUTE!

The graduation was held at a banquet hall. I snuck back into the room where the kids were getting ready to snap one quick picture.

The kids entered in pairs while their music teacher played “Pomp and Circumstance” on the piano.

The class of 2023! (Leo is front and center!)

We received a memo before graduation that no flash photography or video would be permitted during the ceremony, as a professional videographer was filming the event. I wouldn’t have used flash anyway, but apparently what the administrators meant was no photography period. I had a little discussion with the assistant director just before the ceremony as she explained they meant no photography PERIOD, as they felt that it was disruptive to the event. I can understand that, if some folks stand up or crouch down, but I promised to stay right in my chair and be very inconspicuous. I felt badly for being difficult, but I sure did want to get some photos of my own of my little graduate. I mostly shot from the hip (meaning I couldn’t see what I was shooting, since I wasn’t looking through the viewfinder).

All I can say is that it was all worth it for this photo:

The kids sang a number of songs. I giggled the most at “I’ve Been Going to My Preschool” sung to the tune of “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad.”

My favorite segment was “When I Grow Up…” Each student stood up and said, “my name is ___ and when I grow up I want to be a ___” There were several cake bakers, a few artists, a number of football players, a clothes designer, a couple engineers, a doctor… I couldn’t wait to hear what Leo would pick, as he’s expressed interest in being a vet, a paleontologist, and my personal favorite, a bat keeper. I admit that I was thinking “please say bat keeper! Please say bat keeper!”

When it was his turn, he said, “my name is Leo, and when I grow up I want to be a…”

PAUSE (Leo looks down at me, sees camera in my lap)

“… a photographer!”

Yay!

His reaction after making eye contact with me and me beaming a huge smile at him.

I’m fairly certain this was his favorite part of the night, jumping off the stage after the ceremony:

Leo’s teacher, Miss Alyssa.

Jonas’s favorite part was the Graduation Celebration Cupcakes.

Congratulations Leo!

Memorial Day Weekend Part Three (The End!) – Grounds for Sculpture

Christina — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 11:00:53 +0000

On to the final installment of our Memorial Day weekend visit to Doylestown, PA. Except this time we’re venturing not just out of Doylestown, but also out of Pennsylvania and into New Jersey. Our destination: Grounds for Sculpture just outside of Trenton. My parents had been there several times before and knew that we’d enjoy it. We’d tried to go on several occasions in the past, but our plans had always been thwarted by rain, cold, or wanting to go on a day when it was closed.

Not this time! We made it. And it was definitely neither raining nor cold. It was HOT. And sunny. I am sure that the sculptures and grounds would be more photogenic at a different time of day when the sun was not harsh. But what can you do.

There are a ton of peacocks all around the grounds. This one had some babies following her around! Also, peacocks are LOUD. Click the image below for a 6-second video clip with audio of the peacock chorus.

Can you count the peacocks? There are five in this tree. A sixth was walking along the path nearby.

Leo, of course, was excited about this sea monster.

Next up, my favorite image from the whole weekend. Did you know that if you look carefully at a person’s eyes in a photo, you can usually figure out what kind of light was used? An umbrella will look like a white circle (and where it was placed will determine in which part of the eye it appears). A softbox will create a small rectangle. Okay, okay, I am probably one of few oddballs that pay attention to these things… anyway, I love the way that the sculpture that’s in front of Leo here has created such unusual patterns in his eyes.

Jonas is really, really attached to my dad, “Pop Tony.” I’m nearly invisible when Pop Tony’s around. The two of them were taking a break in the shade and of course Leo wanted in on it, too.

Matt enjoys the shade of this beautiful walkway.

We found this nice swing in the shade. Jonas climbed right up, and I attempted to sit next to him. “No, don’t sit there!” he protested. I made a sad face and pretended to cry. “Please can I sit with you?” He gave one of those gestures where he lifts his shoulder in annoyance. One minute later Pop Tony plopped himself down. Jonas was all smiles. Way to rub it in, Dad!

Adorable-ness that should come with a warning label.

It was hot! When I saw this misty sculpture, my brain said, “guest cooling area!” I handed my camera to Matt and went right in. Then I realized from the “do not touch” sign that maybe this was not supposed to be interactive. Oops.

I’m pretty sure this was not supposed to be interactive, either, but you can see a boy’s arm in the top of the frame. I solemnly swear to tell the whole truth that the boy that the arm belongs to does not belong to me.

Last one: this was an indoor (and air conditioned!) exhibit of sculptures made from tires.

Memorial Day Weekend Part Two: All About Emma

Christina — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 19:45:32 +0000

My niece, Emma, just appeared on the blog a few weeks ago. But lucky lucky, here she is again! This past weekend, she and her brother slept over at my parents’ house one night so all the little cousins could have some more quality time together. When the boys decided it was time to watch Justice League, Emma and I headed outside to have a little photo shoot. I asked her to give input on what she thought would be good locations. She had a great eye! I explained a little bit about light, and why some locations that looked enticing really were not desirable at that particular time.

This was actually the last image I shot, but it’s my favorite, so I’m putting it first. Emma here is behind the wheel of my dad’s classic Mercury. I’m ashamed to admit I’m drawing a blank on what year it is! (The car, that is. My blank is on what year the car is. I know what year we are living in.)

She’s only 8, but that’s a pretty darn good sullen look. Hey, brother of mine (Emma’s dad) – enjoy the teenage years!

This location pose was all Emma’s idea. Nice job!

Runner-up favorite. She reminds me a little of a young Anna Paquin here.