Aidan

#aidantheanimal

April 15, 2015 by Cady Sinks 1 Comment

When we were pregnant and trying to decide on a name, we always paused to think about nicknames. Ones we liked or didn’t. We even ruled out names because of potential nicknames that we just didn’t love. (Because a parent can never be too prepared or fearful when having their first child.) Case in point, I loved the idea of Aidan James Sinks. James is my father’s name and we both agreed the middle name had to have a family origin. But the idea of AJ just didn’t fit for us. So when Alan suggested Ward, a shortening of his paternal grandfather’s name Howard, I was sold.

So there we had it – Aidan Ward Sinks – the perfect name for our little guy. Never in a million years did I think we would end up with a bunch of nicknames for this child. In fact, I think we only call him by his first name when we are warning him about eminent danger such as cars or his propensity to climb to the top of his high chair and then just teeter there for a few seconds longer than my heart really requires. But I digress.

Alan’s favorite nickname is Chubster. Yes, chubster. Because you can add an -ster to anything and make the word more interesting. Also, because our very slim child deserves a nickname that is quite the opposite of his physique and hopefully will not add to any future self doubts.

For me, I love Aidan the Animal. Although I never actually call him this and only really refer to it in writing. The real origins of this came when I misunderstood something in conversation on Friday Night Lights and loved what I mistakenly heard. Since people were clamoring to hear the reasons for the hashtag I’ve been using on Instagram , I just had to comply and give an explanation (#jaytothekay because exactly no one asked me about this but I’m over sharing anyway). So if you’re curious for more, you can find me @cadysinks where I am a professional overgrammer of all things knitting, Aidan, and made up nicknames.

Photos taken with my Nikon D750 & 50mm lens.

Tips for getting better photos of your kids

April 1, 2015 by Cady Sinks Leave a Comment

photo details: nikon d7100 // nikon 35 mm f/1.8 lens // iso 400 // f/1.8 // 1/320 ss

I am frequently asked what camera I use and what tips I have for getting better photos of kids. I’m working on a post about what equipment I use and that will be posted in the very near future. In the mean time, I have a handful of tips to help you better capture those precious little people in your life.

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1. Get low. Depending on your height and that of your child, you are most likely a few feet taller than your subject. Rather than taking a photo standing and looking down, get low. Crouch, sit on the floor, or lay down. However you choose to do it, get low and photograph their perspective rather than your own. In the photo above, I tried sitting down first and then decided to lay down in an attempt to get even more on par with my son.

2. Let them play. Without a doubt, I love Aidan’s smile. Those few moments when his huge blue eyes stare at me through the lens and he gives me his sweet grin, well, those are the moments that make your heart burst into exactly one million tiny little pieces. And this happens only once a year when all the stars align and unicorns show up on my doorstep. I’m not saying give up on making that shot happen. But if you are trying to capture what your child does on a daily basis, if you are trying to become a better photographer, if you are trying to capture milestones realize that not every one of those requires a smiling face. In fact, some of the most simple photos can be the most beautiful. So let your child play and capture the moment.photo details: nikon d7100 // nikon 35 mm f/1.8 lens // iso 500 // f/2.0 // 1/500 ss

3. Find the light. There are certain areas of our house that provide more light than others. Light pours into Aidan’s play area in the morning. In contrast, our basement gets only a sliver of light and is not conducive to getting great photos. Rather than torture myself, I have adjusted. More photos are taken in the areas where I have better lighting. So find the spots in your house that allow great light. And don’t underestimate bathrooms! Our master bathroom has a massive window and gets a great deal of light throughout the day.

4. Work with what you have and make what you have work for you. I will be sharing more about what equipment I use but over the last year I have been using a Nikon D7100. If I could toss my budget out the window and get anything I wanted, I would absolutely upgrade my camera body and current lenses. I would also add a couple more to my camera bag. Until that day comes, I continue to work with what I have. I have studied my camera, I have figured out what settings I prefer, and I can make adjustments without delay. It is important to really master the equipment you have currently before upgrading because until you do that, you may be upgrading without really improving. So my advice to you is that you learn the intricacies of your current camera and when you have truly hit the ceiling with what you currently own, then make the jump to the next level.photo details: nikon d7100 // nikon 35 mm f/1.8 lens // iso 400 // f/2.2 // 1/400 ss

5. Practice. I posted about this recently. The more photos you take, the more photos you edit, and the more photos you analyze, the better you will get. Nothing can replace this. Aidan is a terrible model and is constantly on the go. I also work full time so for three months of winter time, I rarely have good light. I can easily use these as excuses – and admittedly, sometimes I do – but that won’t change things. So I practice.

I would love to hear if these tips help and good luck in capturing better photos of your kids!

Aidan & the milkshake {4/52}

January 25, 2015 by Cady Sinks Leave a Comment

We love smoothies in this house. (Thank you Lauren for our blender!! That thing gets a work out.) Sometimes we make them with fruit, sometimes we make them with frozen yogurt. But mostly, we make a really simple peanut butter smoothie. It consists of milk, ice, and two big scoops of peanut butter. Add a fun straw and you have a healthy snack.

He loves it. Obviously.

Aidan & Harper’s Ferry {3/52}

January 18, 2015 by Cady Sinks Leave a Comment

This year we are hoping to visit fifteen states. Some of this will be done as a family and some of it will happen without Aidan. Most of it is completely undecided.

With West Virginia so close to us, we decided to visit Harper’s Ferry and hit up our first state for the year. As you can see from photos, it was cold and wet and even got icy. We had a great time despite the elements. We first saw the battle ground and then made our way into the town of Harper’s Ferry. There is more history packed into that tiny little town than I could have dreamed up. This is definitely a spot I would love to return to – but maybe on a warmer day.

Aidan & the watercolors {2/52}

January 11, 2015 by Cady Sinks Leave a Comment

I love making things. If I could swing it, my job would allow me to work remote so that the two hours a day I spend commuting could be reallocated to creative pursuits. Although that hasn’t happened (yet! maybe one day but probably not but I’ll just hold out a little hope) that doesn’t mean we are lacking in our arts and crafts. In fact, we have paper, crayons, markers, chalk, and now watercolors all available to Aidan for play. Aidan does a lot of adorable things, but watching him “draw” is high on my list.

We decided that watercolors would be a fun little art exercise for Aidan. I had this beautifully planned in my mind where he would make some wonderful paintings for us and violins would play while unicorns hopped around our kitchen. That definitely was not how this happened. We had to beg Aidan not to spill or drink the water and he pretty much skipped the colors, opting instead for the black. I’m not sure what this says about his personality but I did manage to get some photos during the violin playing/unicorn part.