capturing their ‘who’
There are so many photos I took over the last month that will bring back such fond memories of our trip. There are photos that might stand out to photographers as ones with better composition or technical aspects. While those things are important to me, they are far from most important. I pick up my camera for so many reasons. It is my tool for artistic expression. It is a creative outlet. It captures the things my family does. Most importantly, it captures WHO those that I love are. While I appreciate beautiful portraits, I treasure those times I can capture an image that really tells WHO my kids are at any given stage.
The photos I wanted to share today may not be technically great. They have room for compositional improvement. But, they capture the “WHO” and that makes them my favorites.
It is hard to put into words my 6 year old’s personality. He is a perfect mix of quirky, intense and tender. Chris was playing his guitar while the kids were cooking over the campfire. The wind changed directions to push smoke towards my 6 year old. He immediately began laughing and dancing in the smoke. I imagine I will always smile at the sight of this image, it is just so him. (ISO 160, 1/630, f/2.8)
Hiking, tree climbing, balance beam walking…always in pink and flip flops. She is tough and dainty all at once. This is the her I see everyday. (ISO 500, 1/400, f/3.2)
Peaceful sleep has been a long, hard battle for this little miss. Watching her nap, completely happy and peaceful in a trailer – I love this photo. (ISO 125, 1/200, f/2.8)
This, perhaps, is my very favorite picture of the trip. I challenged the boys to jump from one bench to the other. Before my oldest would consider jumping, he started measuring out the distance on the ground and making calculations regarding the chance of him making the jump. As I was snapping a shot of him doing his measuring, his younger brother just went for it throwing caution to the wind. What I love about this is how perfectly it captures so much of their personalities. One way is not better than the other. They are just different and different is good. Seeing images like this also help me understand them a little better too. This will need to be framed in my house somewhere. (ISO 160, 1/125, f/2.8)
