A Granddaughter's First Photo Album

This is a follow-up post to share some of the pictures my granddaughter Avery Grace took while she was on "Spring Break" from kindergarten. Avery will be six years old in May, and I recently introduced her to the world of photography. A couple of weeks ago, Avery and I visited the Vicksburg National Military Park here in Vicksburg, and she had a good time exploring the park and capturing pictures with my Canon Power Shot camera. I think she did an excellent job, but, of course, that's strictly her grandmother's unbiased opinion. If you will kindly indulge me, I would like to share some of Avery's pictures from our photo shoot (I did not enhance the pictures at all, except for resizing them). I have also included some pictures I took of Avery while she was taking her pictures. She was concentrating so hard, and turning the camera this way and that ... and I was so proud and pleased to see that she was having fun, but was also taking her photography very seriously. One of our first stops was to capture these pretty yellow wildflowers beside the road. Avery took the next two pictures ... She needs to practice her closeup shots ... She did better on these closeups of some dandelions ... She also got a closeup of her knee in this shot, but I think that just adds character, don't you? We climbed up to a gazebo on top of a hill to capture the next two pictures ... This is the picture Avery was taking as I was taking her picture (that reminds me of that old song, "I was lookin' back to see, if you were lookin' back at me, to see if I was lookin' back at you") ... Next we visited one of my favorite spots in the Vicksburg National Cemetery — this old Gingko tree. This is my favorite of the pictures Avery took of the tree ... Avery called these white Irises "spring flowers" ... I love these pictures I captured of Avery as she photographed the seal on the floor of the Illinois State Monument in the Military Park. She was so cute turning the camera every which way, trying to get just the right angle ... I think her picture was worth all her hard work, don't you? I especially like the next three pictures, which she took of the river, the Naval Monument, and the eagle on top of the Illinois Monument: Not bad for a five-year-old, are they! I wouldn't take anything for that afternoon in the park with my little budding photographer. But the best part of the whole experience was when we were talking about the dandelions, and Avery said she "liked the kind you could blow on and make a wish." I asked her what she would wish, and she said, very solemnly, "I would wish that this day would never end." Your grandmother's sentiments exactly, Sweetie.