I love Airstream camping with my kids and with that comes regular exposure to the outdoors at dusk. On a recent trip to western Mass (there are some awesome campsites in range of North Adams btw), I found myself at the pond a stone’s throw from our camping location right at the golden hour with my little maniacs. It had just rained and the light was beautiful. Opportunistically, I had my Leica monochrome camera with me and was able to snap a really fun shot of my youngest daughter who was willing, as ever, to deliver one of her cheeky poses for me, this time with one of her favorite things - a delicious apple. It turned out to be a great pic - and the experience just reminds me - over staging a shot (ie., over-preparing either background, pose, hair, makeup, etc) can often distract from the essence of the memory. That’s not to say that all staged photos are bad - they are a necessity of photography and often quite artful. But to me, when it comes to family - the photos that truly hold value over time are the dynamic-in-the-moment ones - where everyone is truly living their experience. That’s why I try to carry a camera with me wherever we go and quietly scan for background, lighting, action, or moment. You never know when it’s going to pop.
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My musings on capturing the moment