365 Day Project | Day 22 | Ocala Photographer

Nicholas is obsessed with yard art of all kinds…everything from staked seasonal doo-dadas & random bits from the house to bird-feeders and rocks. Really. We usually have some sort of discarded milk product container strung up to a tree in our front yard. Or a piece of ribbon tied to a limb as a “decoration.” So, it was pretty typical that he asked Dad to build him a birdhouse. And in Dad fashion, Dad built two. Very smart in my book as we have two boys and one always wants what the other has.

Both boys spent part of their afternoon decorating their structures with oil-based paint. Yup, oil-based. I’m a brave Mama. Of course, they wanted to use three of their favorite colors which would require separate painting sessions. They’re obviously wearing yesterday’s paint stained clothes today to avoid staining more clothing.

My goal was to capture Nicholas’ whole person, but I was having a lot of difficulty with the lighting…fluorescent mixed with natural light. And his face was in shadow as he crunched forward toward his piece with concentration. Sure I could have reflected some light up into his face, but I lacked something large and white. So, I continued snapping away.

Later, as I was culling the images, this frame popped out as it told the story of a little boy who insisted he dunk his whole brush into the can without scraping off the excess. It cracked me up every time. There may be more paint on the table than on the birdhouse. Just saying. I only wish that I had stepped up the shutter speed so as to capture a perfect drip from the brush.

We’ve got a little more painting on tap for this afternoon. We’re gonna have some seriously rockin’ birdhouses.