As a photographer, it is really easy to get caught up working with my clients, and forget to be creative and have fun with photography for myself! So, it’s time to share a personal post here on the blog!
This past summer, I had a day with my two kids and thought I would try to capture the two of them together (with the big camera!). That was when my Mila asked if she could change into her favorite dress and have me photograph her. Well, I know that most of you probably think that with her being the daughter of a photographer, she loves being photographed. But honestly, every photograph I’ve ever taken of her I’ve had to work thoroughly for. Yes, I beg, plead and bargain with her! So when she offered to be my subject, I was thrilled.
What was going to be just a few simple portraits ended up being something much more fun. My girl wanted to jump in the air, and have me capture her dress and hair flowing. At that moment, my creative juices were flowing, and I was thinking about how I would work the settings on my camera for the shots and the editing style I would use afterward…I wanted more of a warm, film-inspired look. But, as I watched my daughter try to jump and turn perfectly into the air, I realized this was going to be a bit more special to me. It was when I looked at the back of my camera, I realized this was going to be my art. Watching her set her posture, seeing the steady seriousness in her eyes as she prepared for her twirls into the air and then witnessing her sheer enjoyment was mesmerizing. Her beautiful, full, messy head of hair was blowing me away. My little love. She was looking imperfectly perfect.
Normally when I photograph and edit, I remove scars and marks and fix stray hairs. But I knew I didn’t want to do that with these images. My girl’s hair was as long as it’s ever been here and was a bit of a mess because I hadn’t had the time to get her hair trimmed. She normally wears her hair in a pony-tail, but she chose to have it all down to get more of an effect with her leaps. The scar on her left arm from a recent fall reminds me of the sadness I felt when I realized she had gotten hurt when I wasn’t with her, but how proud I was when she told me how brave she was after the fall. The stamp on her foot was from a class at gymnastics earlier in the day, and it will remind me of the Wednesday mornings we spent watching her try her very best on the balance beam. As I’m looking at and photographing my beautiful daughter, I am reminded that she is my art. She was created with love and I want to remember every little bit about her. Hope you enjoy this art as much as I do!
Can you please let me know when your Christmas mini session