Getting Lost - August

August totally got away on me this year - I didn’t even take my “August” photos until yesterday! But I’ve got the best excuse… I became a Nana again!

We’ve welcomed a gorgeous little girl, Violet Kathryn, thanks to Krystal and Dave. She’s absolutely adorable and her mum and dad are head over heels in love with her (and so are the rest of us!).

Pretty much every weekend lately has been baby-related - whether it was our “fill the freezer” day to get Krystal and Dave stocked up, the baby shower, hanging out at Maternity waiting for things to kick off, or finally getting to meet Miss Violet herself.

I’m not sharing baby pics just yet, but I can share this one from the baby shower that I know Krystal really likes:

 

I’ll share this photo too because it has a lot of sentimental value. The cradle (or bassinet, depending on what you like to call it!) is the very same one Krystal and Mikayla both slept in as newborns. Three of my nieces also had their turn in it when they were tiny, so it’s definitely got some family history.

And then there’s the teddy. My sister Kate bought it for me only about six months after Heini and I got married - as a bit of a “bribe” to hurry up and have a baby so she could be an auntie! I’ve looked after it carefully all these years, knowing that one day I’d want to pass it on to Krystal.

The quilt is special too. The little cross-stitched bunnies are from the original quilt I made for my babies over 30 years ago. When Krystal found out she was expecting, she asked me to remake the quilts (there’s a cot one as well) using new fabric but keeping the bunnies. So now baby Violet gets to sleep under a quilt that ties our family’s story together in the loveliest way.

Keeping with the whole “Nana” theme, Miss Chloe came to stay on Friday night and we decided to do my August photos together on Saturday morning. I used my camera and she used my iPad - she’s such a little digital native that it didn’t faze her one bit. And honestly? Her photos are gorgeous!

Chloe even picked all our cards this month, read them out to me, and then we each took our own shots. At one point she told me, “I love taking beautiful photos with you.” My heart just about melted. She’s already asked when we can have another photo day, so I’m pretty sure you’ll be seeing another Nana-and-Chloe joint effort in the coming months.

Now onto the prompts!

#1 Cloudy day, head for the coast. Sunny day, head inland. Honestly, the weather couldn’t make up its mind - there was a bit of sun, a bit of cloud, a touch of wind… and then, right after we got home, a lot of rain!

We decided on Centennial Park (better known around here as the Tree Trust). I’ve been plenty of times, but this was Chloe’s very first visit and she was absolutely blown away by how beautiful it all is. For our first photo we headed to the lookout, snapping shots across the park and all the way over to Mount Ngongotahā.

Chloe

Shelley (Nana)

#2 Take the hour of the day your last photo was taken and head south that many kms. Since we were happily spending the morning at the Tree Trust, Chloe and I decided to adapt it a little - we went 12 GIANT steps instead!

It’s funny how much of a difference a few giant steps can make. Instead of looking out towards the mountain and trees, suddenly we were surrounded by daffodils and people wandering around enjoying the park. Totally different vibe, but just as lovely.

Chloe

Shelley (Nana)

#3 Use camera blur to make something look different from what your eye can see.

I already knew from past attempts that doing camera blur on an iPad can be a little tricky… but Chloe gave it a go anyway. She didn’t quite nail it this time, but (spoiler alert!) she absolutely nailed it perfectly on one of the later prompts!

Chloe

Shelley (Nana)

 #4 Get macro and portray the season you are in with just a leaf or flower.   

What says “spring” more than a daffodil? Technically spring doesn’t start until September, but since the daffodils have been out for weeks already, we didn’t mind bending the rules a little. Getting up close and personal with them turned out to be so much fun!

Chloe

Shelley (Nana)

 

 

#5 Put a frame around a landscape using what ever you find around you.  

I wasn’t sure we’d manage this one with the wind blowing as much as it was… but then, as we walked into the park, we spotted the gated opening. It turned out to be the perfect natural frame for the view!

Chloe

Shelley (Nana)

#6 Take as many steps as you have battery percentage left and frame your shot. 

 

Since it was the very start of our photography adventure, we still had 98% battery left. To make it more fun, we counted in tens - 10 steps, then another 10, which Chloe happily added up each time. She thought it was hilarious that we were doing maths on the weekend! By the time we’d reached 98 steps, we’d arrived at a beautiful tree, which became the perfect subject for our photos.

 

Chloe

Shelley (Nana)

 

#7 Take 3 photos of the same thing with shadows or light changing how it looks.  

 

This one was a bit tricky for an eight-year-old, so we tweaked it to: Take 3 photos of the same thing from different angles. Chloe picked a bench seat and got straight to work, while I focused on a beautiful fern koru I’d spotted nearby.

 

Chloe

Shelley (Nana)

#8 Take a photo from the perspective of a flower.

 

Hmm… how to explain perspective? Easier than I thought. I asked, “Chloe, if you were a flower, what would you be able to see?” She got it immediately... dropped to her knees, and captured an amazing shot! And remember how I said camera blur can be tricky on an iPad? Well, Chloe absolutely nailed it this time. Honestly, I was enjoying watching her have so much fun even more than taking my own photos… she really is a natural, if I do say so myself (biased Nana alert!).

 

Chloe

Shelley (Nana)

#9 Find a busy spot. Set a 10 second timer and see what wandered into your shot.

 

Right away, Chloe suggested we head back to where the car was parked. “It’s really busy there, Nana,” she said - and she wasn’t wrong! As we went through the gate into the car park, two young blokes walked past, so we stepped aside… and just like that, they became the perfect subjects for our photos!

 

Chloe

Shelley (Nana)

#10 Take a photo of a living thing.

 

I had wondered if this prompt would come up... and if it did I was pretty sure we would get a photo of a lamb... but Chloe spotted something quite different.  A wee sparrow sitting on a post right beside the car park.  He was just hanging out minding his own business... possibly hoping that someone might have a picnic so there would be some tidbits but I suspect with the wind he might have been out of luck!

Chloe

Shelley (Nana)

 

#11 Find a line in nature to draw you in to the heart of the picture.

Chloe wanted to take Alfie for a little walk around the park - he’d been in the car up until now so we could focus on our photography. I knew just the spot for a great “line” - not exactly natural, but definitely photo-worthy. Alfie was more than happy to join us and discovered a whole new world of smells… including sheep poo, which apparently fascinated him!

We strolled over to the Peace Garden, a beautiful corner of the park. The cherry blossoms aren’t out yet, but Chloe was captivated by the engraved quotes on the large central stone. She ran her fingers over every word, and I was so pleased she loved it as much as I do.

Chloe

Shelley (Nana)

While we were at the Peace Garden, I took a moment to do a little “Chloe watching.” She’s such an empathetic little human, full of compassion, and she really wanted to understand what the different quotes on the stones meant. She’s not one to talk a lot, but I could see the cogs turning in her mind - I’m sure the Peace Garden will come up again in conversation sometime. I also snapped a photo of her with Alfie. He absolutely adores her and lights up whenever she comes to stay.

 #12 Stop for a treat (and take a photo of it).

Chloe had actually chosen this card about six prompts earlier, but I suggested we save it for last so we could stop at a cake shop on the way home. She decided Alfie deserved a treat too, so she picked him a nice stick from the park to take home.

Knowing Chloe, it was no surprise when she went for a huge raspberry lamington - pink, of course! I treated myself to a slice of black forest cake… absolutely delicious.

Chloe

Shelley (Nana)

 

What a wonderful day Chloe and I had at Centennial Park! From exploring the Tree Trust to snapping photos of daffodils, sparrows, and even a beautiful tree, we had so much fun following the prompts and seeing the park through Chloe’s eyes. Alfie got to join in too, discovering new smells and loving every minute of the walk.

Alfie was thrilled with his stick treat, though Chloe decided that cleaning up the inevitable crumbs and bits of mess was definitely a “Nana job”!

All in all, it was a perfect mix of creativity, laughter, and little moments of connection. I’m already looking forward to our next photo day!

 

Of course, no month is complete without a title card! This month, I featured one of Chloe’s photos - taken as we were heading back up to the car park. The glorious greens and blues she captured are just perfect and really sum up our day beautifully.

 

 

Thank you for stopping by my little corner of the internet.
Until next time,
Shelley