While scrolling through the latest posts on my Facebook newsfeed a few weeks ago, I came across a photo collage posted by Lacie; included were a photo of her and each of her daughters in – or, in Mia’s case, on Lacie’s wedding dress. Right away, I noticed how timeless Lacie’s dress was; it could just as easily have come from five decades ago or last week. It was simple and beautiful (and Lacie still fit into it, by the way – way to go!), and got me thinking about how awesome it would be to do a shoot with it. A day later, I was counting my blessings after reading a message from Lacie asking if there was room in my schedule to do a fun session with Alyssa in Lacie’s dress as a keepsake for Alyssa when she grows up. I love it when the stars align!
Alyssa and I have a history together both through photos (remember their fall photos last year? or the year before?) and through Air Gliders Trampoline Club, which meant I felt like there was tremendous pressure to do something really special for this not-so-little girl. Not only do I love the Petrynkas and want to create magic for them every time we work together, but their daughter is also on the cusp of one of life’s most challenging periods of growth; positive results from our session could have a wonderful impact on this child’s self-esteem. Driving to my parents’ place one day, I passed a road that I go by all the time and all of the pieces came together in a single, inspired moment and I knew this session was going to be something we’d all be able to look back on with smiles. The shoot was ready to go and I was STOKED.
I usually have quite a clear picture of what I want to achieve during a session but, due to the nature of my job and the number of variables I work with, the session often runs in a different (albeit fun) direction than I’d expected – particularly when it comes to working with children. However, when Lacie and I were loading our cars and everyone was getting warmed up (the wind that night was BRISK!), I couldn’t help but run over and quietly give Alyssa a big high five; our session played out exactly how I’d imagined it. The results showed a girl who is certainly no longer Lacie’s “baby”! They also caused a bit of a stir on my Facebook page, which was lots of fun to see and I hope that the comments got back to Alyssa.
When working with young people – and especially girls – I think that it’s so important that their photos get positive feedback to help with the development of self-confidence and yet, in this age of instant gratification and constant objectification, I’m aware of the dangers of overindulging the self-image monster and turning our young people into a generation of shallow narcissists. Tricky when you’re a photographer, eh? I want children to know that they are valued, and that they are beautiful in the world’s eyes, but struggle with the risk of creating a dependency on feedback based entirely on image. What I enjoyed most about this session was that Alyssa and I worked together to create something that wasn’t just “pretty”. Yes, we definitely got beauty, but we also got attitude, grace, and a ferocity that seemed to be simmering just under the surface and screamed “DON’T mess with me.” To me, that’s how we take a child from being just another pretty face to being someone who can think critically and contribute to a scenario. Alyssa, you rocked it – and you deserve every single one of those glowing comments. :)
Here are some of Alyssa’s highlights:
