Miss Boots

There have been times when I've been approached with a portrait request that moves me. I received just such a request last week from a friend whose mother in law is 80-something and suffering from Alzheimer's Disease. She wanted me to capture her mother in law before she faded away completely so that her family would have something to look back on. This project excited me because this, to me, is what I strive towards with my work - providing an everlasting memory on paper that has meaning to the recipient. I like to akin myself to the artists of old who painted portraits of families so that they could hang on the walls of ancestry for generations to look back on, and wonder.

And so I went to the home of "Boots" (who I will call Miss Boots out of deference) and spent a few hours just sitting with her, capturing her in her home, in her favorite place by the window. And she was so happy, and so easy to work with, and I really think I captured not just who she is, but a little of who she used to be. I tried some interesting angles, using available light in combination with one studio light, pre-arranged backgrounds and the natural environment. My real wish was that I could have taken her outside, in a summer dress, to stand in a wheat field. But it's winter here in Ohio. And outdoors is no suitable place for a lady of advanced years!

I love how the window light rims her face in this one.

what I love about this one is two things - the emphasis on her hands illuminated by the window light (and using my 50 mm lens for minimal DOF) and the bare tree branches you can vaguely see in the background. This woman is in the winter of her life, yet she still glows with energy.







I love this one because it shows her character, I think. I can't say why...








that light on the wall is coming from the window which was West-facing - it was a harsh light but I liked the effect.





I loved her hands. and the fact that her nail polish was worn. the symbolism here is rampant.





again I tried to emphasize the hands while de-emphasizing everything else using directional light from behind me and my 50 mm lens.









I just like this one. It's nothing special, but I keep getting drawn back to it. So I included it here.

Cameron & Dominic

Dominic and Cameron are nine months old, cousins, and only a few days apart. It was two for one day in my studio! Two cuties, one session.

As you can tell, I really love low-key portraiture and I experiment with shadows as well as light, tying for dramatic and unique images. I get a little funky, but it's kind of fun!

To see all the images, go to my www.jacquelynnbuck.com/proofs.htm then click on "cousins"!





I love that Cameron looks like a little doll here!




I thought about removing dad's hand from this one, but then I realized that I really liked the image and the sense it gives you of the stability of a father - of a parent - in the life of a child. So I kept it. And this might be my favorite because this image goes deeper than just a cute kid pic. Plus Cameron looks so serious here!




Big chair, little boy!




I loved the lines and angles in this one - even though it's an unusual image.



love this kid's faces!




here I go with the funky lighting....













I do a lot of funky tilt in my imagery - not everyone loves it, but I just find it is something that comes naturally to me when I hold the camera. Wonder what that says about me?









I like this one because it looks like they're having a conversation!




Here I got funky with some layers.
















Another one where they appear to be chatting - in a laundry basket!

Three Little Girls

One of the privileges of going home to family for Christmas and New Year is that I get to photograph the children of my friends and relatives...as well as see them grow from infancy to toddler and beyond. Below you'll find three posts covering the three little girls I had the chance to capture: my niece, Cosette, my friend Mary's daughter Emma and my friend Theresa's daughter, Veronica - ranging in age from a year and a half to three years.

Cosette

Cosette is my niece, the daughter of my husband's sister, Carrie. Part of Carrie's Christmas gift from us this year was a portrait session with Cosette, who will be two this month (January) along with Carrie and her husband Ed. In true toddler fashion, Cosette refused to "cooperate" which made for a very interesting and lengthy session - perhaps it was the over stimulus of Christmas or the fact that mom, dad, grandfather and two grandmothers were trying to get her to smile (all at the same time). But every challenge is an opportunity, and this was no exception because, as every photographer surely knows, the "perfect" toddler rarely materializes in front of the camera!

I did get some really adorable shots - very serene and serious faces - and some smiles (with the help of a doll baby in a carriage and a very large stuffed bunny). But, really, the quiet ones were my favorites. Cosette has a wonderful "serious" face, proving that the smiles are not the most important part of the photograph. And when the studio set up got to be too much, I did what all good photographers do, I chased her around for an hour outside, stooping and running at her level, getting down in the grass and snapping the shots in those briefest of seconds when she stopped running long enough to just be! It was a work out, but well worth the effort!

Running Outside!

Some quiet moments on the grass.

Spinning!

With the bunny!

Ed, Carrie & Cosette