Toe to Toe

Dress: ModCloth * Cardigan: hand-me-down from Emily * Belt: Akira * Sandals: c/o BC Footwear * Necklace: Noble Town Vintage * Bangle: H&M

I adore these pictures. I wore this dress on one of the days of my weekend in Arizona, when we spent a good bit of time in desert surroundings (it was also the outfit that I wore to the Railroad Revival Tour, and was perfect for an evening of singing and dancing). My mom kept exclaiming how perfectly the colors and pattern of the dress compliment the backdrop of the desert; the raw dirt, prickly cacti, tactile succulents, and mirage-inducing sunshine. So we decided to snap a few pictures of the whole look, complete with serene desert background. 

I've taken outfit pictures before when I've visited my parents, but I've usually done it with the self-timer or Joe. This time, my parents got in on the action. Yesterday's pictures were snapped by my mom, and all of these lovely desert shots are courtesy of my dad. It was so much fun taking pictures with him. I always have fun with my dad, but he's not necessarily a fashion blog kind of guy, so I wasn't expecting it to be so easy and fun with him behind the camera. But he took on the role of photographer/creative director immediately, and I had a ball running to each of his chosen photo locations and posing it out for him. (He's also started to make pretty rad foam designs in his lattes, and has been rocking the denim-on-denim look for years, so I told him that he's well on his way to becoming a bonafide hipster. If his job market collapses, he can always find backup work as a barista/streetstyle photographer.)

The best part was how comfortable I felt with him taking pictures. Sometimes with a new person behind the lens, it's a bit awkward and uncomfortable at first. I look at the ground a lot, and stand in weird ways that never translate properly to film. The pictures always turn out in a way that show exactly how I was feeling, and I love how I look relaxed, happy, and just a bit silly in these pictures. 

Anyway, I love how these pictures turned out, both because I think they're beautiful, but also because when I look at them, I remember the fun I had with my dad on that day. Spending my birthday standing out in the desert taking pictures of my dress with my dad was the perfect unexpected activity that I didn't know I needed until it happened (whew, awkward sentence!). For those bloggers out there, how do you all deal with new people behind the camera? Have your parents ever stepped in as photographers? What's your most comfortable photo-taking routine?

Also, for more about my awesome dad, check out the post I wrote for his birthday last month.

Title song: Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, "Black Water"