Once again we go deep into the archives to bring the past into the present…
This picture was made for a very good friend of mine very early in my career. Made sometime in the early 80’s, it would become one of those defining moments that would lead me to the path that would eventually define who I would be as a photographer. Although it would only become clear to me later…
Jenny & Eric
I had been photographing both kids since they were born, and so having me around with my camera was second nature to them. This was just around the time I had my first studio location, but since it was a nice day, and we often took pictures of the kids outside, we thought it would be fun to make some portraits at the park.
So after the obligatory “posed” pictures, the kids went off to play and I just tagged along,continuing to “play” with my camera, making pictures as they ran from one play thing in the park to another. After a couple of hours, children and adults both being suitably exhausted, they returned home for naps, and I to my studio wishing I could take one too.
When the contact sheets came back, there were several really good portraits, and a few more really good candids, but this one turned out to be mom’s favorite. It’s still one of mine, even with all the “flaws”.
For one thing, the background is over-exposed. On such a bright day given the difference in brightness between shadows and highlights, it would have been necessary to use some fill flash to balance out the difference. But since it wasn’t planned, we were just playing around and I was shooting from the hip, it didn’t seem necessary.
Now days, cameras and flashes calculate these things automatically. In those days, I would have had to meter the shadows in the foreground, meter the highlights in the background, figure out the difference, calculate how much light I wanted to fall on the subject, the power level and distance of the light source, set the flash and camera controls… AAUUGGG! It’s a great moment! We’re all having fun! Just take the picture!
So I did.
There is another frame from this series where Eric is standing still and the lines of the jungle-gym are straight. I don’t like it nearly as much as this one. When Eric started to move I tipped the camera and tripped the shutter. I like his movement against the dynamic of the tilted lines. I think it adds a little energy to what is already an energetic moment. Most importantly, it’s mom’s favorite too. Many years later, I would also photograph Jenny’s wedding. This photo was on the wall still…
So this picture was the first commissioned photograph created in the style that would eventually define my work for the next 30+ years. Ironically, it would be a picture I made in the studio that would eventually lead me in that direction. But that will have to be a story for another day…