Four Under Four!

Whew, yes, yesterday's session was with four kids under four (cousins): Dorsey & Blair who are each three years old, Clyde who is close to two & Robert who is right at one year old. And to top things off, it was COLD! Truly a lot to ask of kids this age, but they came through for us! Actually, watching the two three years old made me realize just how poorly behaved my own children really were at this age- these two were so cooperative! Now, Clyde had some other plans for the day and was not really interested in getting that 16x20 canvas portrait his mom was looking for... but in his defense it was dinner time, he was overseas (they live in London), he was in a jon-jon, and did I say yet, it was COLD!? To back things up a bit, when his sister Blair was this age we took a PRECIOUS portrait of her in this location looking intently at, in her words, "an angel!" (It was actually a bride, but I must agree the bride could have passed for an angel gliding through the rose garden at Botanical Gardens!) Anywho, the canvas was gorgeous and the story behind it was priceless. So enter Clyde's portrait... we were under a lot of pressure to get something as telling of him at this age (and their residence over seas would not offer us a second chance, even if it was COLD!) So we were trying everything...we got some super expressions but nothing that told the story like Blair's portrait. And then an hour into the session, cold and tired, Clyde's mom decided to leave the scene to see if that would help. Clyde was none too happy to see his mom leave but luckily his grandfather was there, and it was then that the magic happened. His grandfather, as only a grandfather can do, started patiently talking with his grandson. With a toy baseball in hand he slowly tossed the ball to the little boy as Clyde watched and listened to his grandfather's instruction with the same intrigue as his sister had experienced with 'the angel' years before. So, the lighting in this portrait of Clyde is beautiful, the composure of the scene is inviting, but knowing that the little boy is looking up to none only than his revered grandfather makes the portrait priceless! Who'd have thought!
I love the other portrait of the little boy and his grandfather's hand as well...what a stark contrast the youthful hand plays with his elder's... with a baseball bridging the age gap. Really neat! Lastly, the portrait of the cousins walking away. In all honesty, there really isn't anything super about the actual composure of the portrait... it was actually totally candid as we were walking from one part of the gardens to the other. The reason I loved this was personal . These cousins are six months apart in age. I too have a cousin that I grew up with that is about six months younger than me...we always lived miles apart but even to this day we can get together and it seems not a moment of time has passed. As I watched these cousins walk away, I saw a glimpse into my own personal past. Which is one reason I love photography so much... a portrait is more than good lighting, it is more than leading lines and balanced composure... it tells a story...maybe a different story to whoever is looking at it at the time. For me, this portrait took me back and made me thank God for a friendship afforded me through simply the gift of a cousin!