thomas the tank

 
It was a crazy and chaotic shoot. Late afternoon which generally is not the best time of day for either me or young children when it comes to photographing. Things were sort of spinning out of control while attempting family portraits when I suggested that big brother and I could perhaps step away from the group and get a few solo shots.

He was pretty keyed up feeling his parents expectations of the shoot and still bouncing all over the place when I began with him alone. I tried waiting this out a bit while talking to him softly, hoping that he’d slow his activity level just to hear what I had to say. Apparently I wasn’t so interesting as he only stepped it up another level. I finally sat on the landing of his front porch, put my camera down in defeat and seriously considered just making a run for my vehicle and heading home. I was over it.

And then out of the blue he lay down across from me and started to play with his Thomas the Tank engine. It was as if I wasn’t there even though I was only inches away from him. I was close enough to hear his breath slowing from all the jumping around moments prior, the squeaky sound of the wheels as the little tank rolled roughly across the concrete, and my own heart pumping away in unison. There was nothing else. I grabbed my camera, lay down on my side and leaned back as far as I could until I bumped my head on the door to the house (was wishing for a slightly shorter lens at this point). From that place I watched the quiet scene unfold and managed to get a couple of shots before the boy and the train left the station for good.

Oftentimes I make an image where the only real visual merit is that I was there for it. I simply showed up, paid attention, felt the moment touch me and then knew I wasn’t merely observing but I was alive. On rare occasions these are the kind of moments that can result in a really juicy image, but mostly they’re nothing extraordinary. They’re just little slivers of real time. Kind of like life itself. We think it’s about the grand events…..the perfect holidays, the glitzy weddings and other well orchestrated gatherings……..but of course it’s not. It’s just tiny moments of intimacy sprinkled here and there in ordinary time when we briefly know we’re present, and that’s all it takes to make it magical and memorable.

 
~Cynthia