The eternal quest for family photos.  My remote went for a wander a few months ago, so we have been left at the (rather annoying)mercy of the self timer.  The timer itself is not annoying, its the little people who vye to take turns pressing the shutter and then re-focusing, resetting and re-composing the entire image that wears thin.  No matter. When the end product(s) are exactly what I set out to take, I am not that bothered.

The photos were taken using the self-timer.  I set the camera on a tub of hummus and set up the shot in manual.  I exclusively use back button focus, so I don't have the worry about the camera refocussing when I depress the shutter.

I use some sort of object to prefocus.  In this case, one upside down chicken.  Though a backpack or large stone would work just as well if you don't have a 1 year old that insists on being hung upside down by his feet.

Once the settings are right, then we all jump into shot. I had all of about 30 seconds to set this up, so unfortunately there was no patience left for a reshoot when Theo moved (and my shutter speed was just too slow to freeze him).

Rather than stress about it, we simply moved on. playing along the way, until we found another flat part of the path.  The second shot was set up with Ellis being my focus point and the two babies jumping on my back while I set up the camera.  (Note: this is where tilting LCD screens come into their own, as it killed my neck to look through the viewfinder).  With a bit more ambiant light, the top photo was taken, quick and sharp.

Thanks for all of the kind words yesterday.  It was a better day, as is today. It only takes time, hey?