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You Kid!

My blog photo for this week is one that was taken by my daughter on on her cell phone.  Now, I could rightfully claim that this photo is great simply because it features my grandson.  Nothing more needs to be said.  When I first saw it, I strongly connected with it not just because its my grandson but because it is 100% genuine kid.

This photo is what child portraits should look like instead of those cheezy, posed, show your teeth images that fail to reflect a kid's true spirit.  Images like this are captured during those "in between" moments and when a child is so engrossed in their world that they have forgotten that the camera is present.  Tousled hair, a smudged face or a belly laugh or  mischievious smirk are all elements on display in genuine kid photography.  Contemplative moments, wonder and surprise  along with tears and disappointment all have a place as well.  My comments are not intended to deride family photos and those special occasion photos that call for being shined up and slicked down in order to document family history and traditions.  My preference would be for a greater balance between formal posed photography and less formal child portraiture.  With the availablity of cell phones, I think this transition is taking place. 

After my daughter shared the photo, I converted it to a black and white print using older NIK software simulating vintage Illford Delta100 film.  I also recropped the photo and tweaked the tones.  The black and white seemed to make the image less personal for me and more representative of those many children I encountered over many years.

My working years as an elementary school principal provided with me with volumes of mental snapshots of children and the adults who were part of their lives.  This week's photo is a representation of the many young faces which graced the bench outside my office while waiting to see the principal.  There remains a warm place in my heart for those kids who were sent to my office.  My visits with them helped remind me of how a kid sees the world and how we all never grow too old for an attitude adjustment along with a second chance.