Wordless Wednesday: Nathan the Photog

A few weeks back, I upgraded my old phone.

It was the 2012-era iPhone 5 that I’d had roughly two and a half years. The top button hadn’t worked since at least spring of 2014, and while that repair would have been included under a special warranty extension, I never felt like sending it to Apple and being without a phone for a week – especially since we don’t have a land line anymore. I upgraded Sarah Kate, as well, giving her my crappy old phone to replace her even crappier C-student-at-best “smartphone”. Nathan then inherited my really, really, really old iPhone 4 that Sarah Kate had been using as an iTouch.

It took him a couple of weeks to find the camera, but now he’s gone full-on photog.

We’ve enjoyed watching him run around the house, snapping photos of everyone and everything – toys, Sarah Kate, the dogs, me in my sports bra (!!!) He’s had access to the original iPad 1 for awhile, but it didn’t have a camera, so this is an all new experience for him. He’s snagged my phone in the past and snapped a quick shot here or there, but always with the threat of she’s-going-to-see-me-and-take-it-away. Now he can shoot and shoot and shoot to his heart’s content. And every photo tells a story…

Up top, the selfie! I thought I had shown him how to do it for the first time, but when I snuck his phone away to pick a few shots for this post, I discovered he’d already taken a few the day before.

The stuffed duck? Gabi’s. As is the divot she pulled up with her teeth, laying beside it. And of course…his delicious piggies. (Note that all photos are SOOC – 100% unedited).

Daisy, clearly not amused by Nathan’s new talent…

The trucks…oh, my word, the trucks! I can’t begin to estimate how many we have in our house right now – metal, plastic, wood, small, medium, large and in all the colors of the rainbow. They go on forever. Usually in straight lines… 🙂

Lots of photos of Sarah Kate, but very few in focus. I think she has a cracker in her mouth in this shot. I’m sure she’ll be thrilled when she sees it in her inbox.

And Mr. Andi, of course…home from work a little earlier than normal because he isn’t working late anymore unless there’s a power emergency. He resigned from his job last week so he’s off on a new adventure next month. Doesn’t our grass look green in the reflected lenses?

I often wonder what’s going on in Nathan’s mind; these photos at least show me what his view is like.

Watching his gleeful face, and seeing how reluctant he has been to hand it over each time I’ve asked to see his phone, I remember why I love photography, and I’m prompted to pick up my camera more often, to take it with me wherever I go, and to enjoy the images, even if they aren’t “good” in the technical sense.

I’ve gotten out of the habit, choosing my phone over my camera except for special occasions. I love my phone and Instagram, but it’ll never take the place of my camera in my heart, and along the way I’ve missed out on capturing the extraordinary ordinary.

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