A 3 year-old Gives you 15

The first shot was at 6:47pm, the last one at 7:02pm. Exactly 15 minutes.

In that time, I shot 116 photos in 2 lighting situations on 2 different backgrounds.

I selected 26 good ones, and 10 of them I’d call “wow.”

Sometimes after a shoot, while everything is still set up, I manage to get my threenager daughter onto the set.

This is my daughter, Ever. She’s 3.5 years old and she moves very fast. If she’s not physically moving (jumping, twirling, rolling on the floor, doing random yoga poses, throwing her head back in wicked laughter), her face is moving (the grimaces, the tongue sticking out, her hands pushing and pulling at her cheeks, the sad face, happy face, scared face, angry face, etc). If I ask, “sweetie, can you look over there just a second?” it happens for much less than a second.

I’m hunting the great elusive shot I saw it zip by through her hair swirling and mischievous eye. I have an idea of the photo I want, but for each of my ideas I get 10 of hers. Nothing can really be anticipated. She’s going to give me something else and my job is to be ready, keep the focus, gently guide and watch the light falling on her face, while crawling on the ground at her level, both of us riding the spontaneity.

Outtakes. She takes child’s pose and reminds me, “mommy, this is your favorite pose!”

The photo that I originally was looking for, I printed in cyanotype, on paper and fabric. A Christmas present for the grand parents.

“All things in this world must be seen with youthful, hopeful eyes.”

— Henry David Thoreau