Sleep is tranquil, even beautiful. Resting, quiet, stress free, it is a state of just being, While I have always believed this in no way have I come to appreciate it more than in the last 15 months.
My wife and I have a 15 month old daughter. We have this adorable, cute, smart, and mischievous little girl who is the light of our lives. But she is a typical toddler; a toddler who 
is active, energetic, and even defiant at times. She has grow so much so fast that it is unbelievable. It seems like only yesterday she was this tiny little precious creature. Now, while she is still precious she has become more independent and curious. While it is obvious that she how quickly she has grown, I have noticed that it is more apparent when she is asleep. The reason being is simple, during the day she is busy. Running, eating, babbling, playing, and getting into all sorts of trouble, but at night those distractions do not exist. When asleep I have found that her progression into become her own person is weirdly more apparent. By observing her hair, her face, how she holds herself, and who or what she snuggles with I find speaks volumes of her growth. It tells me the story of her becoming a person. That is my idea for my class project.
My idea is to document my daughter at rest over the next up coming weeks in an attempt to possibly convey the same sentiment. I hope that the images I present will be able to show not only the beauty, but also our toddlers’ growth into individuality. I want to present what I consider to be the amazing development that I see our child progressing through everyday. I hope that by documenting this I can convey my understanding of time. That is my idea.
2015 Gerber baby contest winner.
Almost everyone loves babies; almost. Babies are cute, innocent loving creatures that are perfect. So perfect that even when they wail like banshees you can’t be aggravated because they’re angles of course. With their laughter the air, babies are adorable and pure in their pretty outfits. My wife and I thought that too, and our assumptions couldn’t have further from the truth. That lesion was taught to us courtesy of our beautiful 15 month old daughter.
Caring for a baby is supposed to be easy; at least that’s what most people’s fantasies are about. The media communicates that message to the public. In photos, videos, ads, TV, and in film the media tells us that babies should be easy to handle, and there is no way that they could annoy you. What most people seem to forget is the work that is required to make and keep a baby happy. What most people don’t realize is that it’s an effort that is exhausting, and at times futile. The thing that is forgotten is that babies are practically helpless, and that is why they cry. Even as they get old, that helplessness isn’t alleviated; it continues to exist.
My idea for our Time project is to photography my daughter at her worst. I know that it sounds cruel but the point is that I want to show to the viewer what is rarely illustrated to the public; that is that babies cry. I want to portray the struggle that is a growing child, and through those images I hope to present the love that exists there. I want to express that it is through that helplessness a truly loving bond is formed.
Last week I had a power point presentation that I presented to my class. It was an explanation of my idea for our long-term class project that had to do with time. Even though it wasn’t quiet as nerve-racking as I had feared, to be honest horribly apprehensive, I mean like I had a weird nightmare the night before that I went to class naked except for socks, and was stoned to death for them not matching. I know that didn’t make much sense, but the point is that I was terrified that my presentation would end in my going down in flames. While I think that my fearful panic was a little off target, there was still much that needed to be improved.
What I believe was the best part were the visuals; the oral presentation certainly left something to be desired. Images of my daughter dying seemed to convey the purpose of my subject for my project. They spoke the words that I had forgotten to say or just couldn’t get out. Their beautiful discomfort displayed drew you in and at the same time left you uncomfortable with fact that you were looking at such images of heartbreaking pain that were compellingly disturbing. Images that conveys the reality of babies. Still the power point was complete.
While the materials were there to make a great presentation, one that showed that crying is what babies do the majority of the time, there still felt like something was missing. I felt that somehow my presentation had been off target. I felt discombobulated and completely unorganized as I tried my best to a good flow of visuals, and my words that were needed to fully explain my project. While I could tell that many of my classmates understood concept of my Time Project, it was also very clear that many were also confused by what I felt was disorganization despite my attempts at being prepared. If I had the chance I would love to be able to present my power point again.
Here are the visuals that are in the Powerpoint I presented.
Started looking for the best place to purchase a flip book for my time project. Not as easy as I thought. There are different prices, and some require a video clip rather than photos.
Trying to decide whether to use video or photos to make my flip book. I watched a youtube video on how to make a flip book. Interesting.
I also learned how to make my first contact sheet so now I can experiment with making my own flip book. 
I had ordered two flip books from the company Flipclips, but they after my order had shipped, so I had to make my own.
andrewbrucephotography 