Saturday, April 27, 2013

17/52

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013."

Che: In the garage, sorting through boxes of miscellany.
Poet: The mischievous spark of an almost-two-year-old sitting on her bookshelf.

Might I just say that I'm finding it difficult to choose only five favourites. This week I was completely enamoured by Charlie and Rufus in the woods; children within nature, a wonderful thing / I adored the nostalgic quality of she and him / siblings on a windswept hilltop, unforgettable silhouettes / little girl, you have the sweetest ice-cream smudged face / and the waking and sleeping beauty; gorgeous Bo

Last week Emma mentioned that whilst photographing her baby is easy, capturing her older boys is proving difficult. During 2012 I wondered whether I could do another year of 52 with Che; simply because he was turning from the camera so much. But, his reaction proved inspiring. I started taking photos of him immersed in a project or his footsteps as he walked in front of me. It's when I started to really value the "unportrait" and I quickly learned that a portrait isn't just a photo of a face or expression; it's about capturing gestures, traits, artistic creations, shadows and silhouettes. I had to get sneaky though - photographing through windows or door frames, around trees and from above. 

This year I've taken an entirely different approach and so far it's working. When I'm not capturing him in the midst of an activity I engage him in conversation by talking about the light and how it's helping me create the photo. Afterwards we look through the pictures I've taken and chat about each shot. Sometimes, if he's not in a rush to run off and play, he'll take a few photos with the camera and I'll talk him through the process (his composition is impressive!). 

Do you have any inspiring tips for photographing older children and teenagers?




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