My Model

Yesterday Tracy and her kids came over for some play time.  After lunch I asked Ellie if I could take her pictures.  I was counting on her standard pose (which cracks me up, by the way) as my "picture of the day".

Well, several shots later we were done.  Here's some highlights.

First up: This is the standard "Ellie Pose".

Actually, the shot before this was the standard Ellie pose.  But it wasn't usable because it's accompanied by a gigantic yell of "CHEEEEEEEESE" wherein her face is completely tightened ear to ear as she grins out that word.  Tracy and I got her to relax the grin a bit on this shot.  I have also seen her use this look to her best advantage when trying to get something from Grandpa and Grandma, or whoever else can get her what she wants.

After I took this shot, Ellie told me to take another picture.  Tracy might have warned me that Ellie would be gung-ho on the picture front.

So, we started giving Ellie posing instructions.  First I just had her look out the window...

Then it was to look frightened...

I think she was supposed to be scary here.  Or excited.  I don't remember and really, it could go either way...

I'm not sure what this face was meant to be....

But, my plan is to save it for her 21st birthday wherein I'll be sending a copy of it to her to let her know that excessive drinking is not her best look.

This was a prelude to her "chubby belly" shot that she insisted I take.  It didn't turn out, but this one made us laugh...

Still she wanted more pictures.  Tracy and I were running out of facial expressions so we just had her move to the floor.  I believe Ellie said this was her interpretation of a seal pose...

This one struck me as being removed from the Batman movie where Jack Nicholson played the Joker.  Look it up...Creepy.

But then the real Ellie - no forced poses, no suggestions (at least that I remember...), just a cutie-patootie little girl...

Before she was finished she asked me to take some pictures with her mom.

And after all that, I got the shot.  I knew it wouldn't be technically great, but I knew it would capture exactly what I see when I watch Tracy with her kids.  She's totally there for them in playing and imagination (which her kids have in SPADES) and is never short on cuddles.  She's one of the best moms I've ever witnessed.

Despite setting out to get Ellie for my picture, I got a happy accident and called it a day.

That and my model went upstairs to play with her cousins.