What a beautiful family! Seriously, I can’t take all the credit for the images… when you show up perfectly coordinated and ready to go, followed by a toddler who cannot stop smiling and just LOVES to interact, it simply doesn’t require a lot of effort. The only thing I could really offer was my technical expertise behind the camera. The smiles were all theirs and that child… oh, that sweet baby girl! I wanted to keep her! One of the most fun aspects of portraiture is the part where you get to know your clients. You talk with them, you share a bit of yourselves, and you get comfortable. I’m a people watcher… I love seeing the way people engage each other. I love seeing family dynamics. I love figuring out what draws people together in the first place. Now, I could be off base, because I sometimes spin fairytales in my head around people as I’m creating their images. My imagination can get pretty fantastical! But the beautiful lady in the images is a school teacher. She works with teens, day in and day out – no easy task! But you can see that her heart is in it and what a beautiful thing! And he is in residency, in the ICU, I believe (my memory may falter a bit… see the paragraph above concerning my fantastical imagination). He is on his feet all day, working, helping, giving. For those of you who know me well, I understand these types of people. I taught middle school for six years and poured my heart into it. It is a LOT of work with MUCH longer hours than anyone could imagine. You have a full time job teaching, followed by a full time job of meetings and paperwork… those extra 40 hours a week... that second full time job... it's on your own time. Yeah… it’s like that. I kid you not. Point is, both of these individuals maintain such positive outlooks. They are happy and working toward common goals. They are growing a family and still pouring so much of themselves into helping others. And here they are, with this doll baby of a daughter, and they’re doing all they can to make sure she knows she is loved and cherished. Yes, they are definitely the ones who will put those images on the walls where they will be enjoyed. If you missed this article about a child’s self-esteem and the importance of displaying pictures, here is an excerpt: A revealing study was conducted in 1975 with a group of fourth graders at a Tennessee school by Tulane University. During a five week period, the children took Polaroid instant photos of themselves with provided cameras in a variety of assigned poses, compositions and expressing various emotions. The children worked with the printed images of themselves and created scrapbooks once a week over those five weeks. Testing of the students and teachers at the conclusion of study revealed a significant increase of 37 percent in the students’ average self-esteem behaviors. This Murfreesboro Study shows some evidence personal photography of children seen and enjoyed in a specific way can help boost a child’s self-esteem. The whole article can be found HERE. I am very proud of those families who take time to do what matters, who value their families, who have priorities that involve making the world a better place or helping others towards a brighter future. I see the struggle, the determination, and the power inside them. And I love it! I would love to hear your thoughts about this beautiful family, if you know them. If you don’t know them, I’d love to hear from you anyway! If this blog post reaches over 30 comments, I will be gifting this couple an 11x14 mounted print. I see the stats… that means that if just a fraction of my readers will comment, this family gets a gift! |
"Lori is an exceptional photographer, and was my first choice for capturing images of my son for his senior pictures!! She made him feel at ease immediately, traveled to the locations he was interested in, and captured who he is perfectly!" ~ Tonia R.
AuthorLori Stead is a fine art portrait photographer in Corpus Christi, TX. She enjoys creating maternity, newborn, seniors, couples, family, children, and boudoir portraits. She is also a wife, mother of four, and adventurer. Archives
February 2024
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