diaper change

 
Having to pause a shoot for a diaper change is a common occurrence when photographing babies and toddlers. Typically I’ll take this time to drink some water, check equipment or think about what direction I’d like to try to steer the session towards next. As I glanced over at the scene of this diaper change though, I was taken by the peacefulness in both the mom and her toddler. The child laying on the hard tile surface without complaint, the mom calm as she dealt with an extremely messy diaper and speaking to her daughter in the most quiet reassuring tone, lent a feeling of their both being completely fine with the moment at hand, imperfect as it was. There seemed to be no urgency at all to get on to the next more interesting moment.

It was an image that defied the traditional notion of beauty and yet without thinking I grabbed my camera and shot this frame (purposefully keeping the crop close so as not to offend the mom). The combination of vulnerability, tenderness and deep trust had lured me in despite the fact this wasn’t necessarily a portrait occasion. And even though the end result of this diaper change photograph isn’t at all spectacular it was truly a “felt moment” and those to me are always worthy.

I think it’s important that we as commissioned photographers remain open to recognizing little stirrings of awe that nudge at us. Allowing ourselves to be moved closer in the direction of this awe, and then humbled by it has the potential of turning the ordinary into the sublime. Not always, but sometimes. It’s easy to believe that feelings of awe can only visit us in dramatic ways and places, but the great gift that the craft of photography bestows is that wonder and awe are always available to us……it’s all how we choose to see.

 
~Cynthia