party on, wayne
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Just for the record: I am so not proud of this image.
When the mom called to discuss what she wanted for her daughter’s one year photo session I explained to her that I don’t do color. I don’t shoot against white paper backdrops. And I don’t include props. She said she understood all that and still wanted to use me as her photographer, but asked if we could please end the session with her daughter eating birthday cake. I told her that would be fine.
She’d gone to great deal of trouble for the party setup. The cake was three tiers high, rivaling a good many weddings. There were balloons and streamers and a bow for the birthday girl’s head nearly the size of Rhode Island. The scene was set, the subject placed amongst it all, and within five seconds flat the birthday girl was up to her elbows in cake. The bright blues and pinks and oranges of the frosting merged into a lovely shade of mud even before frame number 2 was shot. The party so immediately spinning out of control the worried mother declared, “oh dear, I better get that cake out of there!”
As this scene was exploding in front of my eyes and camera, all I could think was, “what am I doing photographing this?” Sometimes though, it’s at the height of absurdity that one most easily stumbles onto clarity. And the next thought to cross my mind was, “remember rule number 6”. With that, I was quickly able to laugh at the party and myself, and understand that this mom was simply honoring family traditions that are important to her. I’m a kid photographer and my job is to create meaningful portraits for my clients. Who am I to judge what meets the “meaningful” criteria anyway?
For those not familiar with rule number 6, I’ll include below an excerpt from the book where it appeared to me first, “The Art of Possibility”. I discovered this wonderful book several years ago and consider it among the most uplifting and helpful books I’ve read.
And so, party on, Wayne. Party on, Garth! Excellent!
~Cynthia
Rule Number 6
Two prime ministers are sitting in a room discussing affairs of state. Suddenly a man bursts in, apoplectic with fury, shouting and stamping and banging his fist on the desk. The resident prime minister admonishes him: “Peter,” he says, “kindly remember Rule Number 6,” whereupon Peter is instantly restored to complete calm, apologizes, and withdraws. The politicians return to their conversation, only to be interupted yet again twenty minutes later by an hysterical woman gesticulating wildly, her hair flying. Again the intruder is greeted with the words: “Marie, please remember Rule Number 6.” Complete calm descends once more, and she too withdraws with a bow and an apology. When the scene is repeated for a third time, the visiting prime minister addresses his colleague: “My dear friend, I’ve seen many things in my life, but never anything as remarkable as this. Would you be willing to share with me the secret of Rule Number 6?” “Very simple,” replies the resident prime minister. “Rule Number 6 is ‘Don’t take yourself so damn seriously.’” “Ah,” says his visitor, “that is a fine rule.” After a moment of pondering, he inquires, “And what, may I ask, are the other rules?”
“There aren’t any.”
~The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life
by Rosamund and Benjamin Zander
