Little Maxwell's playing in the leaves.

[Odd1Out]

I thought the pics were really cute. Most photo shoots are staged and they managed to get the kids involved in a fun activity and get real smiles in the pics. Nothing wrong with that. I doubt that's the only time these kids get to play in the leaves. At least it didn't appear that Steve was around so they were probably relaxed and just having fun. Now the family pic with everyone wearing exact matching outfits was a product of the 90s, but look who I'm talking about.

[WonderingInWA]

As much as I can't stand Stevie, I do think he loves his grandkids. I'm not sure he knows at all what to do with them, but I think he's evolved a little in that he is allowing his children to make their own choices about raising their own kids. I might be wrong.

[snarkyjan]

Hope the kids enjoyed this while it lasted. Once VoldeSteve decides that leaves are an idol, the party's over.

[NellieBell]

Okay, I am not going over there to look...for real this time. :lol: Did Sarah give a reason for the specific costume of denim? Because I think corduroy and leaves would have been lovely or lumberjack and leaves, khaki and leaves. How about paisley prairie dresses and leaves? There were just so many options :cray-cray: Life is so much more than this Sarah. I so wish you could have figured this out by now.

I did go and look when Sarah had her latest big announcement and I've subsequently spent my time in the corner for that offense. I did notice that Sarah seems to suddenly look every one of her 31? years. The rounded shoulders don't help. I hope for her sake that she's truly buying the Daddy Koolaid and not severely depressed as I would be. I never see her escaping (though wish I might) and would rather have her buying into it wholeheartedly rather than merely enduring it. She has sad eyes.

[WonderingInWA]

I did notice that Sarah seems to suddenly look every one of her 31? years.

Yes, she looks haggard in the latest photos. And really forcing herself to smile.

[silverspoons]

The smiles are always forced and fun staged. At the beginning of the blog Sarah said she wanted cousins pictures in denim and leaves. Nothing the Maxwell's do is spontaneous. Everything scheduled with chorepacks at their waist.... :(

These pictures looked more fake and staged then usual. I took some fall pictures recently of kids from toddler through teens and the contrast very noticeable. The kids I took pictures were actually having fun, throwing leaves at each other and running around the yard. Of course our yard has a trampoline and a ton of toys. The Maxwell's leaf pile seemed small(maybe to limit fun?). I live in the desert and I had a much bigger leaf pile. For me kids and leaves or snow are the easiest pictures to take. They are having a good time and you can get great natural shots. In contrast I have plenty of Halloween photos with big fake smiles.

If this was a planned photo op and these were the best pictures, the family sure isn't very happy.

[sparkles]

I think staged look has less to do with the reality of the situation (I do think everyone was having fun) and more to do with Sarah's lack of skill--and possibly talent--as a photographer. She's passable when it comes to nature, although she doesn't know much about composition, but photographing people, especially children, is something else entirely. It takes special skill to capture them naturally and to pose them as well. And you almost need a sixth sense to anticipate those spontaneous moments, something we know the maxwells don't have since spontaneity isn't on the schedule in the Collective. (I also think Christopher is a sucktackular photographer and he supposedly does it for a living, which baffles me.)

As with most of the Maxwells' creative endeavors, they could really benefit from some objective critique, extensive study and stepping outside of the teeny little box they've put themselves in. But of course they're above all that. The fact that their photography appears to be as dull, repetitive and devoid of joy as the rest of their prelude to death (I can't exactly call it a life) comes as no surprise.

P.S. I have a friend who's an award-winning nature photographer. Her work is absolutely stunning. Yet when she tried branching out to wedding photography, the results were truly horrendous. I mean embarrassingly bad. Photographing people really is a totally different discipline.

[MamaJunebug]

A couple of the photos of the little girls are charming and well done (easy, given the subjects! ;) ) but overall the photos don't work because of .... the adults in them!

The appeal of children's photography is - wait for it - children. Being themselves, without adults hovering in the background, on the sides, etc. The Reversal Girls and Chris obviously were having a good time, and that's wonderful. But the shoot comes off less than successfully because it is disjointed: Children are playing, and adults are watching/supervising/coaching them (I count Chris sprinkling leaves on Josh's head as coaching).

What would've been fun would've been to send Teri and Steve away and let the RG's and Chris and the kids start romping. And - this is key - have Sarah a ways off with a long lens to capture the aunty-daddy-kidddoes play as it naturally, exuberantly took place. As shot, Chris the RG's are self-conscious ("get in there and see to it the children have fun but not too much fun!") and you know Grandma & Grandpa Maxwell were watching. Which probably made little difference to the wee children, but which constrains the RG's and their brother.

Also JMHO but NR Anna looks just right for six months, though I imagine Steve disapproves of the portrait, since the end of her pigtail is messy and loose over her (blush, stammer) bosom.

And yes, she looks relaxed and satisfied, happy. Choice is good.

[Dandruff]

Looks to me like there were leaves that needed raking and children that needed tending, so they made a photo op out of it. I'm glad to see that the kids appeared to be having fun.

[Dru]

I agree -- I think NR Anna looks happy and confident and pretty. I would kill for her hair -- wow! I doubt she's got twins in there and I think the shapeless frumper just makes her look bigger than she really is.

As for Melanie, I think she's probably just leaving it up to God whether she gets pregnant again. With her history of miscarriage and the baby that died, I think she's one grateful mama for what she's got. Those little girls are so cute (hard to believe, given that one of his parents is squicky-eyed Nathan) -- hopefully they are allowed to have fun in their own home.

Melanie comes from a very attractive family and her daughters seem to be following suit.

My guess is the kids get to have actual fun, even at their grandparents' house, when the camera is put away. They are too obsessed with projecting a perfect image to allow less than perfectly staged (in their minds) photos on the blog.

I agree with whomever said Sarah is looking older and tired. To me she looks like she's given up.