Let me start out by saying that I have much more experience photographing girls than boys. It’s not by choice, and it’s not discriminatory. It’s just that more girls’ families hire me than boys’. So, I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I was called to shoot portraits of Bear. One thing I do know is that boys are quite different from girls. Most of the time girls like to have their pictures taken. Boys, on the other hand, may not be exactly thrilled. When I arrived at Bear’s house Wednesday afternoon, he was dressed and ready. And I immediately fell in love. Bear has long, blond hair that immediately reminded me of my older brother Phil who passed away 12 years ago. He even looks like Phil in other respects – from the shape of his nose to the color of his eyes. And though Bear didn’t jump up and down with glee when I arrived, he was very pleasant and ready to pose. I couldn’t have asked for a better model. In fact, I can just see Bear in an Abercrombie and Fitch ad in a few years! Even when Bear was attacked by ants and bitten on the forehead by a mosquito, he didn’t complain. And at the end of the session, without any prompting, he carried my chair to my car. Bear is my new favorite model!
Bear worked with me for nearly an hour taking pictures in his yard. His mother and I agree that we prefer close-ups and we both really like black and white. In this preview I’ll show a mixture.
Here’s Bear:
One of the reasons I like doing portraits at a client’s home is that I learn a lot about my subject. This picture tells a lot about Bear. Notice the paint gun marks on the steps of the tree house. And, if you look closely, you can see an arrow sticking out of the right side of the tree house. This tells me that Bear is ALL boy – and I wouldn’t want him any other way!
Thanks, Bear. You were the best. I hope to see you again – soon!
