My little man had his modeling debut today!
Ian was chosen to be one of six baby models for the Fall and Winter 2009 Collection for Velvet & Tweed, a children’s boutique in San Francisco.
I assure you, this is a funny story. Bare with me here and read on…
I thought it’d be fun to show off my handsome little man and thought he’d be a perfect little “model”.
He’s mellow and happy. He is super ticklish. He laughs when I change his diaper or button his shirt. He chuckles when I make funny sounds or jump!
He is such a funny monkey that I smile and laugh more because of him!
So here’s how the photoshoot went: DISASTROUS.
First, everything that could go wrong, did.
It started with the photographer being an HOUR late. She was so late that the sunlight changed and we needed to change locations. Plus, the kids were getting fussy. Mine wasn’t fussy (yet, that is), but he did want to run around like a crazy boy!
Next, Ian had some “wardrobe malfunctions”. (I never thought I’d ever get to use that term without having the words “Janet Jackson” in the same sentence!)
Tina Schreiber, the owner of Velvet & Tweed, who was SUPER NICE, brought baby socks and shoes. However, the shoes for Ian to wear were either size 4 (1 1/2 sizes too small) or 8 (waaaay too big!) This part wasn’t the malfunction, but it was an issue.
Then, his pants were about 2 inches too loose around the waist. Plus, the pants were missing its front button! So Ian’s pants wouldn’t stay on, and he’s very active! So he got his pants dirty about 1 MINUTE after I put him down. (I can only carry him for so long!)
Oh, did I mention we were on a hill?!! And that the ground was wet? It had rained hard all night.
So basically I had to either carry Ian, who is now 25 lbs, or chase after him while frantically tucking in his shirt, pulling up his pants, rolling up his pants… I was sweating about 20 minutes into it, even though it was probably 55 degrees!
By the time the photographer, Jennifer Longaway, arrived, the kids had been standing on the hill in the cold for 1 hour. By then, Ian finally got the button sewn on his pants, but he had already fallen on the ground twice and gotten his clothes dirty. He was still in a good mood, thank God.
There were 2 locations and the shoot was planned for 8:30-11am. I told Tina that we needed to leave at 10:30am, but would be able to go to both locations. She would just make sure Ian got his shots before we needed to leave. But with the delay, we were at the first photoshoot (to shoot the Autumn Collection) until 10:30am. So we had to miss the second half.
Then the photoshoot began! =:O
My little guy was really upset after maybe 5 minutes of us trying to get him to do things. There was a crowd of parents and other kids around, and we were all looking at him and the kids. I know Ian can feel that something was up… that he was required to perform! And for an independent 1.5 year old, he didn’t want anything to do with it.
Yep, so during the photoshoot, Ian either looked scared with eyes wide open, was sad with his bottom lip sticking out, or was crying!
He was miserable! Poor guy.
Later, I found out that his socks were actually wet and cold! The few times his shoes slipped off from just being too large for his feet, he stepped onto the ground and his socks absorbed all the rainwater. So his little feet were wet and cold during the photoshoot!
Also, he had a lot of wardrobe issues, so there were a lot of people (mostly me) touching him — making him try on different shoes, taking on and off his pants, tucking in his shirt over and over, pulling up his pants every minute, and carrying him to restrict his activity.
Anyhow, if you saw a baby running around during our wait, it was Ian. If you heard a baby crying during the photoshoot, it was Ian! 🙁
Well, here are some photos from today’s shoot… (DISCLAIMER: Most of these photos were taken with ONE HAND because the other arm/hand was holding Ian. And if I wasn’t holding him, then I was holding other things since I didn’t bring a stroller and the ground was wet and muddy.)
Ian before the photoshoot started — running around with his snacks as happy as a clam.
Notice his shirt is untucked? It kept coming untucked because the pants were too loose.
And notice how his pants had fallen a bit and is now on the ground? Eek. I was mortified when I carried him over to tell Tina and her crew that Ian had gotten his outfit dirty already!
Ian with his pants rolled up. I also found a quick fix with the button issue by using one of the suspender buttons! (That’s how big the pants were!)
I love this jacket. Tina also started Janie & Jack and left to start Velvet & Tweed last year. She is so talented!
Notice how everyone was gathered in one place, at the top of the hill? Well, nope, not my kid!
Ian was running up and down the wet hill in his too-large-pants and too-large-shoes! No wonder he kept falling!
(I like this photo because of the long shadow and the flare! You can tell it was early in the morning based on this light.)
Photoshoot is starting…
Here is Tina tucking in Ian’s shirt.
Ian was suppose to sit on the log and interact with that little girl. Nope, not gonna happen.
The babies who weren’t walking yet were ideal because you can just put them where you want them! I think Ian would’ve done much better had he been more around 12 months old.
From the very minute the shoot began, Ian figured out that something was going on and he didn’t know if he liked it!
Verdict reached! He doesn’t like it!
Since nothing actually “happened”, Ian wasn’t always crying hard. Sometimes he’d stand there with this face (lower lip and all!) to show that he’s unhappy! (See below.)
I remember thinking about 10 minutes into the photoshoot that Ian’s photos may not make it into the catalog after all! 🙁
I think all his photos have this face!
Unless Jennifer took photos like this… 🙂
A close up of my guy after I removed him from the crowd for a few minutes. I distracted him by playing with him, then slowly brought him closer to the other kids.
A view of the entire shoot with kids doing their thing and parents standing around to watch and coach.
It was also interesting for me to watch another photographer at work. Other than being late to the shoot, Jennifer worked quickly and she was nice to the kids. I am looking forward to seeing the catalog!
Details of Ian’s shirt design and the cute cords. I like the suspender buttons — with or without suspenders. (Though he really could’ve used suspenders!)
These are the shoes Ian ended up wearing. I love baby clothes and accessories that look like mini versions of adult’s!
This little girl was the opposite of Ian: she fussed and cried during our one hour wait, but once the photoshoot started, she was quiet and all smiles!
I love photos of babies laughing!
Finally, one decent photo of Ian in his outfit. (*sigh* Too bad this was on MY camera and not Jennifer’s!)
Good thing I’m not one of those Stage Moms who pushes her kids into entertainment/modeling. I really did this for the fun of it, but it didn’t end up being that much fun. This may very well be the shortest modeling career ever! 🙂