Oldest and Youngest

These were taken last Thursday, the 31st. My oldest boy, M. (who's 10 years and 4 months), and my youngest boy, I., who just turned 3 months.

M. was not in the mood to sit for me but I had seen his leopard print fleece blanket in his room and thought it would make a nice backdrop- I was not mistaken, I really like that mottled background. The SOOC (straight out of camera) photo was somewhat underexposed so I played with in Photoshop CS, and got this version. I know it could look better (his eyes are a bit washed out and his skin tone is uneven) but what I still don't know in PS literally fills volumes- I'll get there someday, probably thanks to the ILP step-by-step tutorials.

The 1st photo of I. is not that great technically- the catchlights (light reflected in his eyes) are small and centered, but I just love those little spit bubbles on his lips and the way his little finger is placed on the pillow.
You can see how much better the catchlights are in the 2nd photo and his expression is all about the wonder of taking in this big world around him.
I played with these a bit in PS CS, but his skin tone is not uniform in both photos- the pitfalls of working in natural light (and not knowing how to correct it).

I have great plans for this week- I finally got a 5' long piece of black fleece and have asked D. to get me a piece of Plexiglas. A week ago I purchase some kid-size wooden chairs, and I have a vision for a photo with J. sitting on a chair and clutching a teddy bear. Of course, this does not mean I'll be able to achieve this vision- I'm dependent on available light, and other technical conditions, as well the prevailing mood of J., who's 2.3 years old, and that says it all.

Wish me luck.