serene

 

When this moment occurred, I saw the portrait as being of the mother only, and if I’d been able to quietly slip her daughter and doll out of the scene I surely would have. Which I suppose is an odd thing for a kid photographer to be thinking.

I’d taken several shots of the beautiful young mother with her daughter earlier in the session, but they felt somewhat forced and more camera aware than I wanted. Here now was the expression of quiet contentment that I’d sought after previously. She wasn’t expecting me to be photographing her, she was simply trying to calm her child in hopes we might extract a few final shots of the session. And as much as I wanted this particular portrait to be of the mother alone, it could never have happened, since her look of repose was directly tied in to being focused only on comforting the baby she loves so deeply.

It’s challenging for me this busy time of year with all the holiday family shoots. The sessions have greater intensity and carry high expectation for the perfect family portrait, and this runs counter to the quiet way I prefer photographing. So many times I will see the softest most genuine expression on one particular family member within a group shot, and will want so very much to explore that look more thoughtfully in a solo portrait. But as much as I try to entice that same soft expression to return later when working one on one, I can’t make it happen and this disappoints me. I am learning though, that being in close physical proximity with someone you love changes one’s chemistry and ultimately one’s appearance.

And so it’s true, love makes all things more beautiful. Although unfortunately, not necessarily within the same frame of a holiday family portrait. Ü

~Cynthia