31 Things I learned in 2009-Day 13

What I learned: HANGING AROUND WITH LEISA RICE HAS MADE ME A BETTER PHOTOGRAPHER.

How I learned it: For many years Whim So Doodle has held an event called "Santa Sittings" where we get Santa to come in for 1/2 hour photography sessions. Many years ago I saw a cool set of photos in an old scrapbooking magazine, Pebbles, that had these really unique shots with Santa. So I asked if we could do these at the store. I cannot claim to be a good photographer, but Kim Brett knew that one of the Doodle Diva was. We showed the pictures to Leisa and as they say, that is all she wrote! Not only did Leisa get the concept, she vastly improved on it! I was lucky enough, for many years, to be her lovely assistant at these "shoots". (FYI-When we do these they are normally 3-5 days of 8 hours worth of sessions that sell out in just a few hours after announcing them!) I am the person who straightens skirts, tames fly away hair, coaxes smiles, hands Santa special toys and holds stools that Leisa perches on. And afterwards I am the person sitting in front of the computer monitor with Leisa just crying at the captured moments. (Honestly, these photos are spectacular!) So after all these years I have watched her lighting, angles, prop choices and scene set up and like a sponge I have absorbed it all. Now I look at the photos I've been taking and think to myself...that looks like Leisa could have taken it! When I think that it means I'm proud of the way a photo turned out.

(Thanks Leisa for letting me be your sidekick all these years and I wish we could have been together last Christmas. I saw some of those photos and I really missed the whole process.)