Making the ordinary seem extraordinary!

Some of you have recently asked me how I manage to pack so much ‘fun stuff’ into a busy week, where jobs, homework, parenting, cooking, cleaning – and all of the mediocre, daily tasks, tend to take over. This is where I am probably a bit of an odd cat myself! You see, someone once described me as a playful child and I took it as the greatest compliment ever. I do tend to look for unicorns, and believe in a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but I am also fully aware of our world, and the current political issues. However, I think that my children need to be able to roam free, play, and explore for as long as I can get them to follow me (and the Mr.) around.

As a photographer, I always have my eyes open, and I also find many inspirational places on the internet and keep up to date on what is happening in and around Copenhagen. There are always lots of places to visit, and as you know, some of  the best things in life are free, so I always try to find things I’d like to see myself and hope to inspire the girls too.

We go on many photo shoots. I always have a camera with me, and if not – the iPhone is a great replacement. The girls are used to it by now and find it quite fun roaming through fields, and having their picture taken somewhere new. What is in it for them you might think?! Well – what they get out of it is that they visit yellow fields, blue fields, poppy fields, they run all the way to the top of the Round tower, or they are the first ones on the beach when the sun rises: They get to explore and see the beauty of the world. That – as far as I am concerned – is the greatest gift I can give them.

So how can you do this then? Well, it is all about making things interesting, and getting the kids on board. Telling a story. I see the pictures I take as a ‘diary’ of events that they can always look back on when they grow up. It is about making these excursions part of what we call ‘Everyday Magic’ and just go out and explore. It is a very Danish thing to do, and we are literally out and about, “come rain or shine!” – (However, I do prefer sunny  days myself;-)

So how come my kids look good in the pictures? They are used to being photographed by now, and because I am a stylist and photographer, that’s part of my job. So if I have a location  in mind, I  sometimes dress the girls for the occasion. It may sound a bit much, but believe me, a bit of colour coordination and by using ‘classic’ clothing pieces’ will make the images ‘live’ for so much longer.

Is it even fun for the kids? Oh yes – it is – and yes I do have moody girls from time to time – remember this post, but I do believe that they have a lot more fun than the kids who were told to go play in the garden. Not that there is anything wrong with that, my girls love that too, but not all the time.

All I try to say is, that if you make the ordinary seem extraordinary – you will all end up having a better time altogether. Enjoy – and remember – GO EXPLORE!!