family documentary part one - the move
Any time I see an inquiry from my website, my heart skips I beat. Silly maybe, but I'm sincerely touched that there's a person out there in the world who took a moment to look through my work and felt moved enough to reach out.
Any time I see an inquiry from my website, my heart skips I beat. Silly maybe, but I'm sincerely touched that there's a person out there in the world who took a moment to look through my work and felt moved enough to reach out. So when this particular inquiry happened to be from a documentary filmmaker, I was pretty much silenced. (which doesn't happen that often!)
Of course I immediately went to look at her films ... and discovered a kindred spirit. Her films explore deep and difficult subjects told with dignity and heart. So learning she chose me to document her family because she feels the art in what I create actually made me cry.
As her family was in the midst of transition - moving from an apartment that's been in her husband's family for some time (as in many in his family have lived here at one time or another), the home they made together on their return from her time in Ireland where she's pursuing an MFA in film studies, the tiny space they're leaving to start a new life in their first home, she wanted this part included.
So I arrived the day of the move a few hours before they picked up the truck to document the chaos and the quiet spaces in between those. We covered a lot in a little bit of time - the last breakfast, a quiet moment on the couch, silliness and the last time in the pool, and a little when the truck arrived (which by that time, had affected the older of the two children).
While it is always a privilege to be chosen by what is a crowded field of talent in the world today, I guess being selected by one with a learned eye and an artists heart gave me a much needed lift. So here is a selection that tells the story of moving.
family at the lake | new hampshire
A one year old boy surrounded by the love and adoration of grandparents, parents and a beautiful aunt on a November day at an exquisite lake house.
A one year old boy surrounded by the love and adoration of grandparents, parents and a beautiful aunt on a November day at an exquisite lake house.
and then there were two
Sometimes miracles come in pairs. ~ Richard Branson
Sometimes miracles come in pairs. ~ Richard Branson
and indeed they do and they did! despite the different personalities and meanderings - one liking to be held, one preferring to be free - they are bound together into one beautiful little bundle that moves and meanders like a happy whistling stream in the summer. fascinating and fast moving session for this family of four (+golden retriever) whom i'd met years ago at a wedding (the then best man). so it was a welcome reunion of sorts of a different kind. double the everything!
in learning a little about the day-to-day goings and comings, l learned that sunday mornings are family time on the bed - just connecting, laughing and being together - and tho tricky to obtain with two fast moving faces and a dog who was otherwise engaged, it made for a lovely portrait. in addition, we integrated a little bit of what life looks and feels like right now ... on the floor, in the high chairs, and a little outside thanks to a warmish sunday morning and honing in on the peeking, the crawling, the laughing and the movement (two girls at one year old in full exploration) ... in a word - wonderment.
a girl at nine months
I've watched this lil slowly transform, take shape and flight; this time with two teeth and the beginnings of a creep.
I've watched this lil slowly transform, take shape and flight; this time with two teeth and the beginnings of a creep. Her presence is peaceful and pleasant; she's simply sweetly divine. As we are approaching the milestone of one year, and the completion of a first year of life...this is the girl at nine months.
my family - 2014
Cherish your human connections: your relationships with friends and family.
Joseph Brodsky
What to say about this year with the girls who are now older girls ... I cherished my human connectin so much that this year was more about the being there with them than the need/pull to document them with pictures. To be perfectly candid, I wasn't all that into it and neither were they. What's worked in the past doesn't fit any longer and so we will find a new way to explore and expand in the year ahead in a way that is a little more interactive and collaborative. This photograph conveys my sentiments - a passage through to the other side.
And yet there were these beauties which express all i could say and more about who these two are right now.
And here is the larger story - all the pages laid out in a way that tells their story this year.
the lake house
"The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.”
― W.B. Yeats
Where do i begin with this experience for what began as a gift card from one lovely sister to another turned into a bit of a journey.
In an initial discussion, I was left with an impression of family, of love and togetherness. And while we couldn't really make the entire family gathering possible, we opted to focus in on those more immediate. Which sounds in theory easy enough, until you try to find time in three different schedules (four counting mine!), particularly as I advocated for gather everyone together than at the lake house in new hampshire.
Though a bit of a drive for me, I couldn't resist - the location sounded dreamy, and as I'd never driven out through the winding roads that way I was eager for the scenery to be seen along the back roads and by roads that wound to an enchanting (yes, I used that word) drive up that led to a house on a lake that I struggle to find the words for. While yes, the actual house was brilliant - the craftsmanship of wood and and light and space - but it was much more than that. I could see cousins splashing and running ... I could hear laughter, sense the story, feel the love shared among family which on this day revolved around a certain red haired blue eyed boy who dazzled and delighted with his many expressions and silly sounds (and non stop motion).
The adoration of two sets of grandparents, remy the dog, his aunt and his own parents are evident throughout. The documentary inside was what I'd hoped for, and the portraits were exactly what I knew they'd be. And I feel the entire collection speaks to this family and their clan rather well - the lightness of spirit, the fullness of heart. I can only hope they'll have me again - preferably in a warmer season with more of them there ... I see their story and the richness of their connections with each other.
the gift of serving
“You give but little when you give of your possessions.
It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.”
― Khalil Gibran, The Prophet
april | 2012
As a season with giving at its core, we are often overrun with a blur of activities that veil the real magic in the air. Between the buying and wrapping and baking and decorating & the gatherings and events, the real gift of giving can get lost in all the have to's and must do's and need to's. Yet the most magical gift we can experience lies in giving to others. I can't take credit for how I feel about serving others either; it's how I was raised/who I am, and it's at the core of photography & my business.
A few years ago I had the opportunity to photograph this family of four generations and when I learned that Vanessa (the mum of the little) was going to be serving in the National Guard and would need to be away from her four year old for six months, I offered her a session (and the best time for her was in December when she was back on break). And after months of following the updates and photos between she and her girl, I got to see a little video of April seeing her mom for the first time over Thanksgiving - the most impacting exchange I saw that day.
So for me, giving to one who is giving to our country, and to a little who's giving up her mom for a period of time, is one of greatest gifts I can give this season. While I have much more to say on giving this season and in the year ahead, I will end with a few photos from our last time together two years ago.
Wells Blog
Duis mollis, est non commodo luctus, nisi erat porttitor ligula, eget lacinia odio sem nec elit. Maecenas faucibus mollis interdum. Nulla vitae elit libero, a pharetra augue.