When I can, I use natural light to photograph. Indoors the light can come from a window. Outdoors, of course, the light is always there whether it is a sunny or a cloudy day. I think it will be easy to see how the natural daylight has allowed these photographs of three lovely maternity couples to shine. The last photograph here is a palladium print. I can print black & white both on gelatin silver museum quality paper and on art paper using palladium and platinum chemistry.
The weather has finally shifted and there are lots of signs of spring. I have just heard the weather forecast for a weekend of rain. This doesn’t stop the opportunity for capturing wonderful photos of children. Children enjoy playing both indoors and outdoors. Here are photos from a rainy day weekend.
This photo sequence, a set of four palladium prints, tells the story of a boy’s playtime. Framed or in an album, a wonderful way to jog one’s memory.
I love working with a particular book binder who hand makes her albums. We incorporate a photo inset into the cover such as this example here.
A newly one year old observes her elder brother playing. Wonderful to photograph her at this moment of learning. Soon she will be playing on her own.
I spent a year photographing a cornfield, a small one, in Vermont. The different seasons from summer’s never ending sun to the frost of fall to winter and back to spring.
Women’s Expressive Theater has an ongoing series to help teen age girls accept who they are and not try to match peer expectations. It is called the Risk Taker’s Series. About once a month during the school year a group of about 150 teen agers gather to watch a film that relates to their experiences growing up. One Saturday recently, I had the privilege of documenting the girls gathered to ask questions of and listen to the actress, Ally Sheedy. The film that day was “The Breakfast Club”. The girls had spent the morning watching it and talking about what the movie brought up for them. The photographs express how inspiring this day was.
Using the word ’safari’ might seem strange for a walk in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NY. However there are three families of swans along with many varieties of ducks, geese, and gulls in the lake in Prospect Park.
Wikipedia has a good description of swans and their habitats. Swans usually do not battle each other for territory. They even form flocks to harness food resources. They do not migrate even in winter once they have found their home.
Revered by many cultures, swans are considered to be one of the most beautiful and graceful of birds.
What is not understood by many is their vulnerabilities when they share our environs. Recently, two cygnets, young swans, had fish hooks caught in their bodies.
People fishing in the park should pick spots away from the swans. Parent swans are very protective of their young. When people paddle boat in the lake they should avoid going close to the swans. Garbage does not belong in the lake for us and the water birds.
Such a wonder for our children to see these amazing birds so close to home. If we respect them, this safari will be ours.
The top two photographs were done by Thomas Maloney. The others I have done over the several years that I have admired these swans.
Recently I was reminded how clearly babies perceive and how intensely they feel.
I was spending time with a friend and her 8-month-old baby girl who is happy and always ready to play. Talking to her is a lot of fun as she listens and responds as if she could already speak.
While her mom was preparing tea, she pooped in her diaper. She didn’t fuss and continued to play. The tea was ready and her mom wanted to finish the tea before tending to her daughter’s diaper change. When her mom reached for honey, she found that the honey had spilled in the cabinet. No sooner had she reached for a washcloth when her baby started to cry loudly as if she had been hurt.
Her cries startled both her mom and I. We checked. She was fine. She was saying “What about me?! You are cleaning and not taking care of me!”
Her happiness and calm returned with the diaper change. How present and vital babies are.
Telling the stories of our lives is best done with photographs that inspire our memories and bring back cherished times. Recently, I did many photos of a simple afternoon of an 8 month old. We chose outdoors–the Brooklyn Promenade and a nearby playground. These were everyday sites that his mom and nanny frequented with him. Of the many I did, I chose these for his family, to highlight the time when this little one had sprouted his wonderful first teeth and was starting to stand up. One of the packages that I offer is to document a baby’s development during his/her first year where I photograph every two months. I also edit a parent’s photos and combine the selection with my documentation to make a wonderful archival album of a child’s first year. One kind of album, an accordion fold, is displayed here.
I like to think that a portrait, for use in conjunction with your business, should say more about you than a “head shot”. Recently when the colors of fall were at their most brilliant, I worked with Joyce of NYC School Help. The oranges, reds, and golden yellow were perfect for her business. Most people think of autumn when they think of the beginning of the school year: perfect for her professional services.
Sometimes a portrait can be simple yet mysterious as this one of a musician.
I felt that a yoga and dance teacher who works with children as well as adults is best served with a welcoming portrait.
An actress has to be photographed full body as well as close up. An artist can be seen thinking about her art. A dancer, who we see mostly in movement, can reveal her art through a simple portrait suggesting her work.
In a recent conversation with Amy Abrams, one of the founders of In Good Company Workplaces, she stated, “My children are over documented but there is no storyline to the photos–just a mishmash.” She went on to say that her children aged 4 and 2, love looking at her wedding album with its organized prints. “I would love for someone to help me sift through all of these digital images and help create albums that will house lasting memories.”
No sooner did she say this that I thought I have been doing this editing work for a long time for my clients. Helping people with the editing of their digital images, printing photographs that have meaning, and creating albums is now a service I offer.
Here is a sample edit telling the story of one bride’s wedding preparations.
