Last weekend I got together with the Jones family to take a few impromptu portraits. Blaise, the newest addition to the Jones family, is a bubbling 3-month old.

Daren, the proud father:

Bernice, the happy mother:

And a moment of joy:

When taking the portraits, I lamented that we hadn't spent as much time outside as I had hoped. It was insanely hot, however, and eventually we were all sweating so much we simply had to go inside. But things turned out very well--Blaise was carted around happily, and was such a friendly baby.

I love photographing children.

They keep you on your toes by having another agenda.

And sometimes capturing people at just the right moment...

...can be the most fun thing in the world.

Little Zenaida got a baby brother recently. His name is Aiden.

She and mom are adjusting well to their new roles and new demands. Aiden is a beautiful pudgy boy, with his own very distinctive grunt, his hands in perpetual motion when awake. He downs a bottle eagerly.

When I visited them, Zenaida had just woken up from a nap, her hair tousled, but she was very eager to make friends.

Aiden is quite the darling; I'm sure that Zenaida will make a great older sister, and that he'll be a captive audience for her antics.

My brothers and I are very fortunate to have close relationships with each other. We grew up, fighting and playing, homeschooled from middle school to high school. Kevin and I went to the same college (Messiah), and Philip found his own home at Houghton, and is halfway through his career there. The three of us now have our separate homes in Dallas, Baltimore, and Boston. It's great when we can get together.

While we were on vacation in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, I took the time to pull them both aside and take a few portraits. I had a lighting assistant for both of these, holding a gold reflector for fill light. Both shots were taken in the shade, with the afternoon sun coming in from the side. I enjoyed experimenting by lighting each of them very differently.

Kevin's portrait is the rare occasion where I think the lettering and picture on his t-shirt actually helps to make the portrait more successful. For many men his age, growing up with video games helped to form his identity and turned into one of his favorite pastimes. Some of my fond memories of him are playing networked games on our home computers back in the '90s, such as Bolo and Super Maze Wars.

One of the things I like about this portrait is that it exudes the confidence that Kevin has going on. All through his young adulthood he was poked fun of because of his curly hair (yes, it's natural); he learned to roll with the punches and be satisfied with who he is.

Philip is six years younger than me. Growing up, of course, that makes a huge difference, but these days it's nice to be able to connect more now that the age doesn't matter so much.

I like that these portraits of him capture his introspective qualities. He's an intense thinker, and has a lot to say when asked. He gives deep and earnest consideration to ideas. What's missing from these, though, is his goofy sense of humor. That, I think, is best captured in this shot:

He was pretending to nap, only to jump up and surprise me while my shutter was clicking. Needless to say, I got a little freaked out.

Just like old times.

This is the story of Gabby and Maya, two adorable kid sisters.

Their mom, Jamie, invited me over for a spell one afternoon. Instead of traditional payment, we agreed to barter: I photographed her daughters in exchange for a huge haul of excellent used toys to bring home to my daughter Ruth! A great win-win situation.

Gabby, the eldest daughter, conversed with me freely and enjoyed hamming it up.

Maya was almost completely full of giggles the entire time.

Some of my favorite goofy shots were when I told the girls to spin around and be silly. By far, the best technique was to tell them, "Don't you smile at me!" in a scolding voice, or "Don't let me take your picture!"

Photographing these little girls gave me a little view into what motherhood will be like for me in the coming years. At every stage in a child's development, there are new levels of beauty and mystery!

I have a collection of old things. Some are meaningful family heirlooms, others are old photographs or interesting pieces of junk I picked up at antique and thrift stores. Things that are worn and used feel loved to me. I don't think I could ever have a house with completely modern design in it because of that--I would find it attractive, but it would lack the texture and variety that I like to have in my visual environment.

Even some of my old mass-produced photographs from when I was a teenager are developing their own texture through degradation. These photos of my grandparents, for instance. It's beautiful to watch the silver oxidize and solarize the photograph.

My grandmother Louise (from the first photograph) has passed away, and watching her image slowly degrade is a chilling reminder of how people can fade from your memory. I sing her lullabies to my daughter, and tell her "I love you to pieces," like grandma used to tell me. One day I'll teach her how to blow bubbles with her hands, and I hope to pick up an old-fashioned egg-beater so that we can make suds together in the tub. Just like I did with grandma.

Early one Saturday morning, I met Ian and Jenna, two cute little ones. Their family was taking pictures for the ubiquitous holiday Christmas card, but we had a little extra time to do a few "outtakes".

Ian proudly paraded outside on his scooter, wearing a bright and fetching hat.

Indoors, he made his affection for a certain stuffed toy reindeer quite apparent.

Jenna, his younger sister, also loved up the stuffed reindeer.

And squealed her delight!

On a Sunday afternoon, the Kesslers had me over for a little while to photograph some of their family moments. Their three little girls were simply beautiful. The youngest, only a babe, cooed and laughed at her older siblings before succumbing to her nap. Liza was especially funny--I told her to jump up from the couch and run-run-run in place to get out some of her fidgets.

After the babe was fast asleep, we all ventured outside for some good old-fashioned playtime.

Daddy gave Ava a smooch.

Liza went swinging!

And Ava did some climbing.

Then the girls went inside to have a tea party with marshmallows for "soup".

The baby slept soundly away...

The girls finished their "tea" and then I crept away. What a fun family to be around!

I am so fortunate to have family that is willing to visit me on a regular basis. Our parents get along well with each other, and my brothers treat Stephen as a long-lost sibling.

We partook in eggnog...

...delicious stuffing, turkey, and a wide variety of homemade desserts cooked by my sister-in-law, Megan.

Of course, Ruthie looked absolutely charming, laughing at danger while she stood on a rocking chair.

We opened presents...

...enjoyed each others' company...

...and snapped a quick family photo before the light disappeared beyond the horizon.

A Merry Christmas to you all. tags: children, family, portrait,