“In the life of a photographer, whose art is created in tiny fractions of a second, thirty minutes is a sustained thought. Thirty minutes, the length of a child’s ballet class, a quick sauce’s simmer, a commute, is long enough to witness change and short enough to be over before you know it. We offer you here our monthly results of thirty minutes of watching and waiting and recording, of rendering permanent those fractions of a second that slip past in the time it takes to watch a television show. Thirty minutes in the life.“
My kids’ bedtime routine doesn’t always go smoothly. Sometimes there is fighting and crying. Other nights we are lucky if they brush their teeth. And once in a while it’s a memory I don’t want to forget.
One thing that is almost always true is that I don’t take photos of bedtime. It’s dark, I’m tired, the last thing the girls want is a camera in their faces. On the rare occasion that I’m in the mood to pick up my camera, I suggest that they read together and I’m shocked when they agree.
The photos aren’t spectacular or completely original. I converted (most of) them to black and white because the artificial light in so hard to make look pretty.
But Sofia read one of my favourite Robert Munsch books. And Grace read a whole book by herself. We all laughed with Sofia said “HEY MUD PUDDLE” the way I always do. And then they went to bed without any complaints.


Next in our blog circle is Ashley Soeder Photography. Go see what her thirty minutes was like! And don’t forget to check out all the other posts in the circle too!
[…] See my previous contributions to 30 minutes in the life here. […]