“If I could save time in a bottle…
I love kids, especially when they’re not mine. So, photographing children has been a fulfilling part of my career. Maybe it’s because I get to play with them and then return them. My kids have grown up in front of the lens. They have loved it. They have hated it. They now deal with it. I know, as a parent, that we want our little angels to look perfect but it’s also funny to capture the attitude that comes oozing out of them and all the moments in between.
Here’s to all of those moments…
Sunrise session: Dress #1 Black & white set the tone and the texture
Photographing at sunrise on the beach is one of my favorite times of day. The light is glorious and there are not many people around. The reality is that nothing goes as planned. So plan to adapt. The light and tides are every changing. Change with it.
Ms. Maddy is a morning child but started the session off not wanting to be photographed. But, I always win…always. I stock up at the 24 hour ‘Patience store’, arm myself with determination and snacks. And I always bring my squeaky crab!
Every Princess needs sunflowers
My portrait sessions go until they stop! I know when a child has been overstimulated and exhausted. I also ask mom to participate in the session. It’s all about the experience. I want mom to look back on this session and have a story to tell.
Can I have some of that attitude to go?
This image deserved the timelessness of black & white but the sunflowers needed to shine.
I should mention that I have been photographing this child since before she was born. That’s all well and good but some kids know me too well. They will inevitably try to get away with things like they do with their parents. So, sometimes I use the voice…the mom voice.
Then we go back to playing…
Take 2: Dress #2
I love the simple interaction of a child playing at the water’s edge. She’s almost dancing with the waves.
My sessions can yield 100-200 images. Insane, isn’t it? Digital has given me the freedom to not limit my session. The downside is that for every hour I shoot, I spend about 2 hours editing. Let me mention that I shoot each beach session with digital and film: Hasselblad 500CM & Fuji film. It’s an amazing combination.
We dig in the sand. We write our names and make shapes. We play.
The innocence of childhood.
Each child has such inner beauty….such an inner light.
All we need to do is to let them shine.
Do you have one of those of photographs that lights up your world? Where was it taken?
Are you ready for the experience of a lifetime?
Photography By Exposure Blog 
Great post
By: Susan Jacobs on September 26, 2011
at 9:13 AM
Thank you, Susan.
By: Michelle Stella Riordan on September 26, 2011
at 10:37 AM