Cause It Makes You Think

Look at that kid.  He's pretty cute.  But I can't take credit.  That's Logan, the kiddo of one of Jamie's co-workers.  Really good little guy.  Pretty laid back, at least for me.  I'm sure like most babies, he behaves for the new guy with the camera, and then goes home and yanks all of the pots and pans out of the cabinets and goes all baby-Lars Ulrich sitting on the kitchen floor.  Can't really blame him...it's kind of his job.

But on this day, his job was to just sit there, be adorable and tell Metallica to keep their own beat (cause Lars Ulrich is the drummer for...get the joke now???).  And he was adorable.  Mom and Dad were a little concerned however.  It was a very sunny day, and like his Mom, poor Logan's eyes are a little sensitive to sunlight.  He was pretty squinty.  But I have my ways to unsquintify* people.

Luckily, Fort Williams in Cape Elizabeth has a great blend of sunny spots and shady spots.  After struggling to get Logan to sit still in the sun, we opted for the shade.  There is a rock wall by the ruins, very shady.  I popped on my 50mm/f1.4 and went to town!  He loosened right up...and started eating leaves, twigs, acorns, and a rock.  Logan knew ingesting nature was frowned upon in most parental circles, but he did it anyway.  Any opportunity for mischief makes for a good image...like that one.  If he could talk, he'd be saying "Yep.  I'm eating a leaf. Deal with it."

So dad finally wrestled the leaf away... much to Logan's dismay.  But he didn't freak.  By this time we were 45 minutes into the shoot and he had figured out the drill.  Dad and Logan quickly started playing the game "I'll put this leaf in my mouth and you'll take it away from me".  So if it looks like Logan is growling, he is.  The image is a little action-y*, so boom, black and white it is!  Go into Photoshop, up the contrast and the brightness just a bit.  And there you have...a picture of Logan yelling at his parents!  Not the first time, probably not that last.

Remember that sunny day I was talking about.  Well the sun was going down and I took full advantage.  Logan was spent and fading fast.  In an attempt to keep him up, Dad started tossing Logan like nearly every dad has done with his kid.  I crouched down and caught this silhouette.  This has quickly become my all-time favorite shot ever since October.  Heres why I like it, cause it makes you think...hence the title.  There are no smiles.  No real detail.  Not a lot of color.  I see the photo and it brings back fond memories.  The first time I tossed my daughter in the air.  And the second and third and the countless times after that, and the giggle was always the same.  I remember the first time I tossed my son.  He cried, a lot.  Apparently, not a fan of going airborne.  He's cool with it now.  The image doesn't tell me how to feel, but I can relate to it in a deep and meaningful way.   No more talking...check out the shot, tell me what you feel.

I've got about 20 photo shoots in the books that are blogable*, so keep an eye out.  Now excuse me, I'm gonna go download some sentimental dad songs on Napster* just to tick off Lars Ulrich.

-- Jason

*denotes made up word