{"id":5614,"date":"2009-12-15T10:13:55","date_gmt":"2009-12-15T17:13:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.coldspaghetti.org\/blog\/?p=5614"},"modified":"2009-12-16T22:57:47","modified_gmt":"2009-12-17T05:57:47","slug":"holiday-photos-and-the-quest-for-eerie-perfection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.coldspaghetti.org\/blog\/2009\/12\/15\/holiday-photos-and-the-quest-for-eerie-perfection\/","title":{"rendered":"Holiday Photos and the Quest for Eerie Perfection."},"content":{"rendered":"

Picture-portraits have been a key part of our holidays for the past few years.\u00c2\u00a0 Specifically, I take holiday portraits for families as a fundraiser for our beloved preschool<\/a>.\u00c2\u00a0 There is always a little craziness around it — what is the best way to give families the most options of photographs, what to charge that makes enough money for the school to be worthwhile without being out of reach, how to minimize the amount of one-on-one coordination and money collecting, and so on.\u00c2\u00a0 This year, I think we struck gold in the set-up: weekend portraits scheduled in back-to-back 15-20 minute time slots over a few hours.\u00c2\u00a0 Families come, sit, have pictures made, and leave.\u00c2\u00a0 For a set fee, I send out one favorite JPG with all the bells and whistles of color enhancing, teeth whitening and booger removal.\u00c2\u00a0 The money goes right to the school, and each family gets a photo for their holiday cards.<\/p>\n

Sounds simple, right?<\/p>\n

Right, except that *I* am involved… and nothing I do is ever simple.\u00c2\u00a0 Part of the problem is me, myself.\u00c2\u00a0 I live to please and I love to photograph… a dangerous combination.<\/p>\n

And then there is the insecurity around my inability to guarrantee THAT photograph.<\/p>\n

You know what I’m talking about.\u00c2\u00a0 THAT photograph is the one every family wants.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s the one that you want.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s the one that I<\/em> want.\u00c2\u00a0 The one where you and all your kin sit around looking lovely.\u00c2\u00a0 Everyone is looking into the camera.\u00c2\u00a0 Everyone is smiling their nicest, brightest smile.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s PERFECT, THAT photograph.\u00c2\u00a0 Eerily… perfect.<\/p>\n

It’s not that it is always impossible.\u00c2\u00a0 THAT picture is much more likely once all kids are older and sort of get that it is in their best interest to look their bright and shiny best for photographs.<\/p>\n

But when they are little?<\/p>\n

It is even a realistic expectation?\u00c2\u00a0 And further, should it be?<\/p>\n

Yeah, I can get that adorable little child to smile for a fraction of a second and be ready to capture it with my shutter… but I’ll promise you dollars to donuts that Mom or Dad or Sister Sue is talking, waving a hand, or closing their eyes at exactly the same time.\u00c2\u00a0 And we can fire photograph after photograph all day, but the bottom line is that kids can’t handle more than 10, maybe 15 minutes of posed portraits before they explode.\u00c2\u00a0 Literally, explode, right their in their parents laps.<\/p>\n

The bottom line is that every moment of being a parent of a small child means, well, parenting that small child.\u00c2\u00a0 And the camera captures reality.\u00c2\u00a0 Not some eerily perfect moment with everyone doing exactly the same thing and looking in exactly the same direction and smiling their exactly the same perfect smiles in their perfectly beautiful matching outfits.\u00c2\u00a0 It sure looks pretty.\u00c2\u00a0 But our eyes know what families look like.\u00c2\u00a0 They are crazy and wonderful — arranging, calling, clapping, laughing, encouraging — all to make one moment of stillness and calm.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 If it works and we see THAT picture, we know that there is something a little… surprising about it.\u00c2\u00a0 We wonder, How did they do that? How did they get that picture?\u00c2\u00a0 It looks pretty, but… what story does it tell?\u00c2\u00a0 And is the story it tells an authentic one?<\/p>\n

I’m not sure it is.\u00c2\u00a0 Authentic.\u00c2\u00a0 How can it be when it comes from my shouting, LALALALALALALALA look heeeerrrrrrrrreeee babbbeeeeeee!\u00c2\u00a0 — MOM, EYES UP, DAD, DON’T TALK — LALALALALALA baaaaaabbbbbbeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!\u00c2\u00a0 And if I’m really lucky, this is combined with Paul in the background jumping up shouting PEAK A BOO from behind me.<\/p>\n

All this, to get THAT photo.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s no wonder it looks eerie.<\/p>\n

But still.\u00c2\u00a0 I work and work and work for THAT picture and beat myself up when it doesn’t happen.\u00c2\u00a0 I mean I really feel guilty.\u00c2\u00a0 I feel like it should be something I can do at will — that it should just HAPPEN.\u00c2\u00a0 I have the stuff… the toys in the bag, the comb and tissue and wet ones.\u00c2\u00a0 I have an eye to see when things are off and can fix them.\u00c2\u00a0 But still… I manage to capture reality.\u00c2\u00a0 I can’t seem to create that fleeting moment of eerie wonder that everyone wants.<\/p>\n

And then?\u00c2\u00a0 I feel like I’ve let someone down.<\/p>\n

Even with photographs of my own family.\u00c2\u00a0 Just look.<\/p>\n

But.\u00c2\u00a0 Maybe.\u00c2\u00a0 Just Maybe…<\/p>\n

… this is better?\u00c2\u00a0 Cheesy, yes, but gives a bit more personality…?<\/p>\n

\"park\"<\/p>\n

I mean, compared to this?<\/p>\n

Don’t my children look miserable?\u00c2\u00a0 I mean, honestly, how can we expect them to SIT for FIVE SECONDS?\u00c2\u00a0 It’s no use bribing.<\/p>\n

\"park<\/p>\n

That look below is suppose to be Will’s nice smile.\u00c2\u00a0 I will find a way to make him pay for this during his teenage years.\u00c2\u00a0 And where is Kate?\u00c2\u00a0 Also, might I consider getting a hair cut and touching up highlights more often than every 8 months?<\/p>\n

Can you tell I’m running back and forth setting the timer on the camera?\u00c2\u00a0 (A remote trigger would be a nice touch, Santa.\u00c2\u00a0 Ahem.)<\/p>\n

\"park<\/p>\n

So, maybe, instead, we should stick to this?<\/p>\n

\"park<\/p>\n

It’s messier than the posed family shot, sure.\u00c2\u00a0 Personality over perfection.\u00c2\u00a0 Maybe I’ll feel better if I lead with my strengths?<\/p>\n

——-<\/p>\n

With that, if I were to photograph you and your family — what would you want?\u00c2\u00a0 What do you look for in a photographer?\u00c2\u00a0 What kinds of photographs do you want after a sitting?\u00c2\u00a0 What do you expect to pay and what kind of flexibility do you want?\u00c2\u00a0 Is there such a thing as a good holiday photo that isn’t “perfect”?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Picture-portraits have been a key part of our holidays for the past few years.\u00c2\u00a0 Specifically, I take holiday portraits for families as a fundraiser for our beloved preschool.\u00c2\u00a0 There is always a little craziness around it — what is the best way to give families the most options of photographs, what to charge that makes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[88,85],"tags":[177],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.coldspaghetti.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5614"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.coldspaghetti.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.coldspaghetti.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.coldspaghetti.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.coldspaghetti.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5614"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/www.coldspaghetti.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5614\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5641,"href":"http:\/\/www.coldspaghetti.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5614\/revisions\/5641"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.coldspaghetti.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5614"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.coldspaghetti.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5614"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.coldspaghetti.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5614"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}