Strange Family
First of all no, I'm not labeling them...it's their surname. Honestly! I met the daughter earlier this year when I booked her wedding. Unfortunately, she was scheduled for a deployment so, the wedding was put on ice for a while. But, she rang me for her family portrait.
I sheepishly have to admit that I completely botched the date and showing up in Pennsylvania a day early. So, since I had my bearings, I was more than perfectly on time when I arrived on the correct date! After nearly being attacked by a killer attack dog...
I managed to get setup and ready. I do enjoy family portraits because you get to see the dynamics of a family that you'd otherwise never see.
We did the shots in the living room and then venture outside into the chilly November air to capture a shot or two outside. It was rather difficult to find much fall foliage. But we made do. I'm looking forward to next years photos. This trip was a blast.
Commencement
I've photographed all types of people, animals, and vehicles. Of all of the difficult things to photograph...the most difficult is the teenage girl. To complicate it...make it my own daughter. It's time for senior photos and we all thought it would be simpler if I just did them. After all, why pay someone else when she can walk down a few stairs to the studio. Needless to say it didn't move along that smoothly. I'm big on the folks in my pictures to look as natural as possible so, I was at my funniest last night. If you don't believe me...I've got proof. That and the face made in between.
It's funny how as a parent, you see a child completely differently than they see themselves! After it was all done, she finally found twelve that she approved of.
With a little patience and work...it's all done now and ready to be submitted to the school. And now...the sadness of losing a kid to college. It's wild how quickly they grow and how much they change.
Fortune Cookie
My travels took me to Gaithersburg...back to my old 'hood. The wedding of Tu and Gail was one of the favorites of the year. Bringing to families together is always a neat experience.
The most fun part of the deal was that they both had children from previous relationships. They were nearly the same age and both were characters!
The daughter of the bride, Maddie, declared war on me during the evening because I took a picture of her while eating!
It always amazes me how during a first dance, a couple seems to get so lost in each other than no one else exists in the room. We all watch and snap photographs as two people share a look and a moment that can never be duplicated.
The evening continued with hilarity from children, good food, and the groom attempting to shoot folks with the cork from the champagne. I also took the largest family portrait ever! Congratulations guys. best of luck, and thanks for being the first couple to eat their entire slice of cake! Oh yeah...and the fortune cookie thanked everyone for coming to their wedding.
Young Gentleman
Yesterday during a portrait session, I met a six year old named Demetrios.
This fella was like no other six year old I've met before. He arrived to the studio behind mom and dad. He was not the least bit interested in having his photograph taken.
Mom, however, had other plans. Since I started in this line of work, I've learned that parents can be quite insistent with little ones. The problem is, it never turns out well. No matter how much his mother or father tried to force it...he wasn't in to it.
Well, what's always worked for me is kicking the parents out. Mom didn't go willingly but, with dad's assistance she left the room. So, I sat the Canon on the tripod and sat down on a stool. Little D and I had a nice conversation. So, naturally, I started a conversation among men with the obvious question...do you have a girlfriend?
I invited him to take a seat as well and we just had...a man to man chat. During our chat...I captured a couple of shots.
Army of One?
Ok I couldn't help it. A buddy of mine has decided to enlist in the Army National Guard. Good kid he is and a firefighter down county. I had mixed feelings when he told me that he had decided to enlist however the cool part was that his ship date was on the Marine Corps Birthday. Couldn't help but to give him crap about that. His ladyfriend works out of my station and I shot a few pictures of them before he left since they didn't really have pictures of the two of them together. I've not been in contact with him since he left nearly a month ago but I've heard that he'll be coming back home during Christmas break. I'll make plans to try and meet up with him.
