Loved One Portrait of a Grandmother & Grandson

When Aimee called me to say she wanted to schedule a session as a gift for her mother to have photos with her favorite person, Aimee's son Callum, I was thrilled! And, honestly, a bit nervous. I guess I'm always nervous before I shoot, but somehow grandmother and grandson felt unfamiliar for me. I'm not very good at posing- Would she be stoic? Would it be awkward? Would Callum feel comfortable with me without his parents around? Would Judy be happy about this session or agitated? Maybe.

And maybe all those things were a little true.

But as a photographer I need to just jump on in there and not mind about the awkward, to embrace it, to lighten the mood while not letting it get completely out of hand! Such a delicate balance...in the end I guess it all comes down to my personality and just enjoying every single person I work with.

And this pair were easy to enjoy. Judy has such a gracious way about her, so engaged with Callum but at the same time so easily engaged with me. An intelligent childish elegance. Callum was definitely shy to start, but the idea of funny faces with Grandma was just what our session needed!Butterfly kisses...

And my favorite of all time... an Eskimo kiss...

As they were leaving Judy casually mentioned that she has hated every single photograph ever taken of herself. Ugh. Kind of like a punch in the gut. Slight panic. Should I have taken more time? Different angles? Different lenses? What would I have done differently had I known that before she came in??

I shoot very instinctively and nothing is rehearsed, so honestly, I probably would have done just the same but with more anxiety. While I was editing these images I wondered if the photos we have taken of ourselves really about us at all? I may not succeed in being the only photographer on the planet to ever take an image of Judy that she likes. I'm optimistic, but realistic. In the end, I think these images are for Callum to treasure when he is older as a window back to when life was safe and soft. And for all of Judy's family and friends that know and love her keen intelligence and beauty. I hope she can see in these images what the rest of us see the minute we meet her. I hope you love these, Aimee! It was my pleasure to meet and photograph them for you!!

(And I really need to take my own advice and stop deleting almost every single picture ever taken of me!)