Every day life has a way of ruining your photography: When it rains it pours.

November 18, 2010 @ 5:37PM

Every day life has a way of ruining your photography: When it rains it pours.

Parent vs. Photographer is an age old battle.

By Brian Rueb

My series on becoming a better photography will return after the Holiday week...until then enjoy this piece of my life...

My life is in a crazy place. I’m aware of this, and for the most part I embrace the insanity, and roll with it. However there are perfect storms that roll in every so often and derail my best laid plans to get out with my camera. This happens more now that my kids are older, and that my schedule is seemingly booked from end- to- end with family time, projects, shooting, etc…

For your entertainment, and my therapy….here is how my photography was derailed THIS week.

This past week I had a lot on my plate. In addition to about five hours' worth of writing I had to finish, I had matting to pick up from a store, prints to check on from the local gallery that displays my work, dinner to prepare, and kids to help with homework, and not to mention a very awesome and understanding wife who enjoys spending time with me as well. All of this is AFTER I get home from my other job…

In addition to being a professional photographer, I’m also a public school teacher. This endeavor is usually quite rewarding, and for the most part I do really enjoy that field of work…and the humility it brings me. Students don’t care that I have had photos in magazines, or walked 450 miles around Iceland…if I’m fortunate I get a, “that’s cool…” and then they move on through adolescence. I’m definitely not special from 8-3 every day.

Due to my hectic schedule…if I’m going to get out for an evening shoot…timing is of the utmost importance. I need to check the skies, make the commitment to photograph, and then strategically make a plan that allows me to get to my location in time. The recent clock adjustments do NOT make me happy…I have an hour's less time to do the same amount of work.

The skies this past week have been great. Tuesday afternoon, I made the call… I was going to get out and shoot. My schedule for the day was easy. Leave work. Get the kids from school, pick up some copies for my wife, check the status of my matting at the store, and then swing by home to grab the camera and make the 15-minute drive to my shooting location. I could easily be at my shooting location with 30-40 minutes still to spare before sunset. I knew I could.

One of the aspects of being a public school educator is that I’m required to discipline students when they misbehave. They love to have disciplinary referrals written on them. They show me how much they love them by spitting on my car, keying the paint, and putting nails in the tires (11 times in 5 years). It’s a little bit of love that brightens my day at all the wrong times. Tuesday included.

When I left work on Tuesday, set to hit my schedule running….I noticed the nail sticking out of my tire.

Awesome.

Luckily, I’m used to this kind of thing…so I check my tires on days when I know the students have had administrative council regarding their referral. It’s better to find the nail before you hit 70mph on the freeway. Thankfully, the air hadn’t really started to deplete from the tire…and I was able to gimp it to the tire store for a flat repair. I might be able to stay on schedule if it goes smoothly.

My schedule is so hectic that I’ve become quite the multi-tasker. While my car was being fixed, I went to get some things at the store for dinner. Hey I had to stop anyway...might as well get the tire fixed while I'm here is how I looked at it. I will definitely be on schedule!

Unless something else goes wrong…

The phone rings while I’m walking back to the tire shop with my groceries.

“The tire is unfixable. The nail is in the sidewall…and it can’t be fixed…”

Awesome.

$107 and 30 minutes later I’m in the car heading to the camera store to see about my matting. Time is not on my side. Luckily my wife has texted to say she’ll pick up the kids so I can make the other errands in time...SWEET!

The camera store hasn’t received my mat order yet…so that cerrand actually doesn’t take much time at all! Time to head to the copy store to get my wife’s copies. This photography thing might work after all…

I always forget the time change exists for several weeks after it happens. I’m so used to the sun setting around 6 p. m., that it takes awhile for me to remember…OH YEAH…it sets at 5 p.m. now.

4:55 - I’m walking out of the copy store looking at a magnificent sunset. Epic. Off-the-charts good.

I’m there standing in a parking lot with my copies…and no chance of photographing it.

I get a text from my wife.

“The sky is grabbing its crotch and giving you the finger right now.”

Yes, yes it is…

I love my wife.

DAY 2...

The next day the sky isn’t quite as good…but there is still a chance of getting out to photograph. I have my boys picked up and we’re heading towards home by 3:30 p.m.. Things are looking nice. The only thing I have to do is make a brief stop at the printers to check on my prints, and then we’re off.

Time is looking so good that I take the boys out for ice cream as a reward for having good report cards. This is forward thinking on my part. They will have ice cream, and the be able to enjoy their ice creams while I take care of business in the printers. This also keeps their hands off of the nice shiny prints that are laying about the store.

Easier for me.

Easier for the printers.

Ice cream for the kids. Easier for them.

(Yes, I use snacks a lot to subdue my children.)

Things never ever go the way I hope. Ever.

I’ll have you know I was in the printers for 10 minutes TOPS. They hadn’t gotten their paper in yet, so there wasn’t anything I could do. I small- talked for a moment…then returned....

To aboslute chaos

When I left the older child was finishing some ice cream and the littlest was playing a game on my ipod.

When I returned two children were crying.

“Dad!” The older says, “Aiden peed on me!!!”

“I didn’t….It was an accident!!!!” The little one is quick to cry out.

This is a first for me. I’ve never had one of my children PEE on the other before.

Trying to piece together this event was like an episode of CSI. My key suspect was in big time denial.

“I didn’t pee on him…it was an accident. IT WAS AN ACCCCCCIIIIIIIIDENT!!!!!!”

Right there the contradiction of NOT doing something and ACCIDENTLY doing something makes me believe that YES…he did PEE on his brother. The fact that the older child is wet from the head down also is a pretty good indicator. He’s not thrilled either. Rightly so. The question is whether there was malicious intent involved…Time to crack this case…

“Then why is there PEE in my EAR!!!!” The older yells at the younger…

“There’s NOT pee in your ear…you’re LYING!!!!!” the littlest Rueb yelps.

“Then come here and look at my wet ear and my wet hair!!!!” The older says, throwing his wet, whizz-covered shirt at his little brother.

It’s obvious now someone WAS peed on. I just don’t know why. I begin the questioning. After a few moments I come to a conclusion…this is what happened as best as I can tell.

Ultimately mischief was involved (obviously). The youngest had left his spot in the front seat to get into the back seat and harass his brother. I’m not certain…but I think the youngest was also trying to place his bare bottom on the older child…Both kids are still crying and arguing as they’re recounting the tale. This shock tactic no doubt triggered laughter in the smallest at seeing his horrified brothers face….which led his body beginning to urinate….once THAT started, it was all over. He couldn’t stop.

Conclusion: The youngest DID pee on his brother. I believe that the beginning of the peeing process wasn’t intended….and once it began he was just facing the wrong direction, chaos and soaking ensued.

Needless to say we didn’t make sunset last night either, as nobody wants to head out anywhere when they’ve been peed upon.

Sometimes I wonder if Ansel Adams’ kids peed on each other when he was trying to head out to take photographs.

Alrighty, as I mentioned, I’ll be back after the holidays with a new post on how to become a better photographer. Have a tremendous Thanksgiving week…I’m taking some of the time to see if I can actually get my camera out of the bag and make some photos. I’m only taking ONE child…so the chances have to be better….right?