Who will ever forget your child’s (or your) first Halloween school parade? The kindergarten teacher would walk with a boom box blaring “the Addams Family”. Parents (tired from making costumes) would line the school halls sending big smiles and little waves to their ghoulish passer-byes. Pre-sugared kids would be wiggling and bouncing throughout the entire school day just waiting for the big night. It was Halloween, a time to be whoever you wanted to be!
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…Fast-forward 10 years and my daughter has 5 quizzes scheduled for tomorrow. Were losing grasps of our children’s fleeting child-hood traditions and they are morphing into pseudo-grown-ups. I decided to do something about it. Last year I called my incredibly creative friend Lili Kinsman and proposed that we do a mother daughter photo shoot to help reclaim some Halloween fun. I suggested a ghost theme and Lili, who’s the most imaginative stylist I know, was right on it.
…Fast-forward another year and we have stepped up our games. For both Lili and I, doing a shoot in a comfort zone of working with our own kids allows us push our creative envelops. There’s nothing to lose and so much fun to be gained. Add our friend Kim to the mix and she keeps us organized and moving along. She also brings the cookies!
This year’s theme was inspired by the Capitol fashions of District 13 from the Hunger Games. We wanted to portray wild color and extravagance. The first portion of the shoot started with the girls wearing simple attire. By the afternoon, they had morphed into some wild looks, some which got odd stares along Main Street in Durham and along the streets of Middletown. My hope is that we can continue to do this for as long as possible. It has become a cherished tradition that’s destined to replace the school parade and trick-or-treating with a new era of creative energy.
...to the pics
