What its like for me to wait and watch for the moments that are worth capturing and how I fill your gallery with emotion:
Do you remember the days of National Geographic Explorer? (Ok, maybe I’m dating myself here, but hear me out). Where the host was dressed in his safari gear and his British-sounding accent, traipsing the wild jungles for the “ever elusive albino Jag-u-ar….. or something like that…. I vividly remember watching him for a half hour… hoping to capture a glimpse of the wild animal in its natural habit. I remember the whispers of his voice, thinking he’s on the right path, noticing clues along the way that make him believe he is getting closer. And alas, just as the show would surely be about to end, his eye spies the rarely seen breed, majestic in their land, unknowing that he is giving this human his dream come true and that he will grace the cover of the next National Geographic Explorer magazine. Patience pays off. The will to continue and the hope for the amazing moment comes true when you sit and wait and watch.
Photography is very similar when it comes to newborn, children and family moments. In my newborn sessions, I often tell my families that National Geographic Explorer story shortly after I place my camera in the “off” position behind my back as I am changing sets or props for the baby and I see the baby show off their milk-coma smile with zero chance of them holding it long enough to turn my camera back on from behind my back. But much like the safari-man, I watch and I wait and I persist from that missed moment to capture the next one. To elicit the next one, to hope for that miracle camera-worthy, newborn cheeky smile from the baby. My camera becomes part of my face, refusing to put it down until I catch that elusive smile again. My back becomes hunched with patience and persistence and faith that it will happen. I manifest it with every fiber of my being, because I cannot quit that session until it happens. I can’t give up or miss the chance to include those newborn smirky smiles in the family’s gallery because I know those moments are fleeting and the time is short and babies change by the day. So, I wait and wait, and encourage the baby, and draw out a smile from that baby in every way I know how and alas, it has always worked. Patience pays off in the rewards of newborn smiles.
Similarly, during family sessions, especially during the growing pain years of toddlerhood and adolescence, you can’t always guarantee that the sharpness of spirited children will result in emotional galleries that parents are looking for. But sometimes, when I step back from the posing and giving directions to the children, magic happens. I simply distract them from their own unwillingness in my own secret ways, and thats when it happens. Everyone’s guard comes down. The stressed out parents begin to relax their shoulders and their furrowed brows become soft. Just as the parents begin to see that they can enjoy the session, those precocious personalities of their children follow their lead and for a few fleeting moments, I see it! I see it like the National Geographic Explorer finds their elusive species. I capture the memories in a few snaps and clicks and voila, their story unfolds. And when I deliver their gallery, the families are always amazed at how many amazing shots they have and how they are having a hard time picking which ones they want. And its then, that I sit back and exhale, thinking, “on to my next adventure!”
