It’s really hard to photograph my own kids! They have seen my cameras so often that they roll their eyes every time it comes out. And as any parent knows, kids like to behave worse for their own parents than for other authority figures. Ugh… they’ll have if I hire someone to photograph them, but if I do it myself, they complain.
Then a couple days ago, a friend gave me a suggestion that made all the sense in the world. Pay them! Bribe them with money! It’s so obvious that I can’t believe I never thought of it before.
“Hey kids, I have a plan. I will pay you each five dollars if you pose in the cherry blossoms for me for several photos.”
The next thing I knew, I had the two best behaved, smiling kids hugging adorably under blossoms. It was that easy. Brilliant!
This year we adopted Lucy, a golden retriever mix who is already the kids’ best friend.
These photos were all taken along Wiehle Avenue in Reston, just north of Baron Cameron Road. There is a sidewalk lined with cherry blossom trees there, open to the public.
(Please don’t touch or shake the cherry blossom trees at the Tidal Basin in DC or other parks. What my kids were doing in these photos is ok only because they are roadside trees in my neighborhood, not protected trees in a park.)
So be sure to put a few five dollar bills in your pocket the next time you really want pictures of your kids. It just might work.
Related posts:
One of Northern Virginia’s best places to see cherry blossoms is at Lake Anne in Reston
The Washington, D.C. Cherry Blossoms: Worth every bit of the effort
The Cherry Blossoms of Meadowlark Gardens: A Gorgeous and Easy Alternative to the Tidal Basin
We’re getting our fall on around here
A stroll through colorful and delightful Bristol
Childhood summertime bliss at Reston Town Center’s splash pad
Scenes from our trip to exquisite, historic, and charming Somerset, England
This Is Us: Our newest family portrait
