Capturing the Essence of You

I have had the pleasure of taking photographs of you for over two years and I love that part of my role as Auntie. Living in Vancouver, what I miss is watching you. At home, behind the camera, I look for the tiny things I love about you. I look for the face where your bottom lip disappears - a sure sign you are doing something you know you shouldn’t. I see the toys that you clutch with tiny hands. I notice the bumps and bruises from learning to walk, and then as you grew older from climbing out of your cot and falling onto the closest piece of furniture. I want to document the favourite clothes that you won’t take off for weeks. I want to capture all the tiny details that make up who you are. I want to capture the essence of you.

We are over half way through our year in Vancouver and we are loving the experiences we are having. I Skype with family and hear the latest stories about you, I imagine the photographs I would take, you lying on your stomach in the hallway facing Pops, pushing cars back and forth. I want to get on my stomach with you and capture things at your level. See you aiming the car with care. I want to capture your little fingers grasping the strings on Pop’s hoodie as you pull him from the sofa with a “Pops, come”.

I want to capture your love of reading. I want to capture the amazing big brother you are to the new baby in the family. I also want to capture him. I gave your Daddy strict instructions to take photos of the two of you together. You are only little for such a short moment of time and I want to be able to remember and look back on the details. Daddy did a fantastic job with capturing your role as big brother.

On Skype Daddy showed me your little brother’s tiny feet and my immediate reaction was to ask if he had taken photos of them. The answer was "no". I then reeled off a list of photos that he had to take. I want to have these memories for you both.

Taking photos of you has taught me so much about documenting childhood. As I take photographs for friends, I look for the facial expressions that I see often, the way their child lies on the floor or crosses his feet. I look for the games, chasing each other playing 'hide and seek’, but I also look for the moments of quiet when they stop to catch their breath.

Speaking to my brother I realised that some parents are overwhelmed by taking photographs; it’s not something that comes naturally to some. They don’t know what to take photos of and, as a result, there are lots of smiling photos from different special occasions, but the ordinary moments get forgotten. I think sometimes as adults, we get caught up trying to keep to routines and making sure everyone survives the events of today.

I don’t know much about being a parent, but I do know a little bit about taking photographs. My advice to those wanting to capture documentary photographs of children is to spend some time watching. Sit and watch them play. Notice the toys they reach for, the expressions on their face.

Look at how your partner interacts with your children, the way they hold them. Think about the details that make you stop for a moment to take it in. Notice the moments where you hold your breath trying not to disturb them.

These are the moments to capture. These are the moments that make up the essence of you. This is your family. These are your relationships, your interactions and your stories - Capture them.