Capturing Personality
Over this past weekend, I had an impromptu photoshoot with my daughter. It wasn't something I intended on posting because it was mainly to scout out a new location and I needed a subject to test out lighting and composition, So I said to her, "Hey, do you want to come hang out with me and take some pictures?" She said "Sure!" and with that, we were off. We started just getting some traditional posed pictures. I was testing out the settings on my camera and trying to get the right exposure. Then something happened... the moment photographers wait and hope for... the moment that distinguishes a good photoshoot from a great one... the moment when personality shows up!
My favorite part about being a photographer isn't taking perfectly posed pictures. Don't get me wrong, I love a well composed photo with great lighting and a smiling subject. They make great framed pictures to have in your home. But what I LOVE about being a photographer is truly documenting life and capturing moments that can not be posed. I love it when my subjects let their guard down, when forced smiles becomes genuine laughs, and when I have the privilege of documenting the "WHO" behind the what... and that is exactly what happened!
For those of you who know my my daughter, you know that she loves to be silly. She can be a real goofball, full of movement and energy! She loves to climb... on anything. She's not afraid to get her hands dirty and her feet wet (as a matter of fact, if there's water around she will find a way to get more than just her feet wet). She loves all creatures, big and small, including bugs. If she can catch it, she will give it a name and ask to keep it as a pet (and yes, she managed to find a rolly polly in the middle of town and insisted I take a picture of her new friend).
We got some great photos on this particular day. I truly love them all. But there was a moment when something shifted and I thought, "Oh, there you are! There's my silly girl!" What I loved about this photoshoot is that "my girl" showed up, and if you look through the photos in this post I hope that you see what I see. I hope you don't just see
a cute, little girl who knows how to pose for pictures. I hope you see her personality shine through, I hope you
truly see "HER!"
