Over the last two years, I've developed my own style of capturing families, especially families with young children. The primary lesson is gaining the trust of those you photograph - with friends this is easy and generally the adults who hire you are on board right away but young children need to feel this way as well. For this reason, I often take the first 20 minutes or so to interact with the little ones, get down to their level, play peek-a-boo, and just let them get comfortable.
You can only capture the true essence of a family by letting them interact as they would without the lens around. Often my clients are surprised by the images because they felt as if it was just another day at the park or a moment where they could just sit, colour, throw a ball around, go for a walk and just enjoy each other. Truth is...that's what it's all about. The uniqueness in my images comes from the different ways families interact and co-exist.
I've met Kiona only once before. She's a little doll. It's amazing to see how she has grown - both from the obvious physical changes but also the little personality she is developing. No one who knows Erica will be surprised at just how particular young Kiona is and it's certainly endearing. During one shot, I moved the books slightly closer to her to better frame the image. She looked at the different placement of the books, looked up at me, looked down at the books again...she was not impressed with the new placement of the books and after pausing for a half second, she pushed the books back to their original place. I didn't dare put them back in the more esthetically pleasing locale...Kiona had made it clear this was not her preferance and in my books only a happy kid makes for a good photo. Happy Kid, Successful Shoot...
Geography, adult responsibilities and age have meant that there are fewer times Kev and I get to see the bottom of a beer bottle together but childhood bonds find a way of rising above all of that. The two minute man call - phone conversation - meant that even before the handshake things were going to be like they always were and always will be.
With Erica expecting again, I look forward to working again with the Scott's as their young family grows...
For those of you from the East Coast looking to get photos done, I'm here for another week and then back briefly in August and it looks like there is a swelling of clients asking for early October dates. If you want to get your photos done, please don't hesitate to contact me - matt.symes@symplicity.ca - we'll certainly arrange something.
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