I never be too timid or lazy to go the distance whatever that is perceived to be. There is the story of a Greek runner back many hundreds or thousands of years ago who won the race and kept on running all the way home to his village to tell them of his victory. You can’t just stop when you are finished, we need to go on and tell others, tell the story over and over again. To use the brand “Feeling more deeply about photography,” my natural life’s work is all about photography. It is ingrained, infused, imbibed; breath it in, become a Breatharian!
When this new mother came in for her consultation she was already familiar with my procedure because I had photographed her once before. I always start with a consultation first, followed by the photo session and finally a projection appointment that allows us to work together to choose the best image, size and finish. In this instance the finish was her prime interest. During our consultation she indicated that she wanted the image to have an art look. To satisfy this requirement the photo was printed on watercolour paper using Lysonic inks which are known for their longevity and have an estimated life of sixty-five to seventy-five years.
She shared a funny yet true story with me. Being a nurse in Los Angeles her friends and co-workers asked, “Why are you going to Canada? For a vacation?” “No,” she said, “I’m going to see my photographer.” Stunned, they asked, “Why go all the way to Canada?” She said, “Wait until you see the art piece, you will be green with envy.” I don’t know if it was so but I do know that both of us loved the feeling we got from looking at the finished piece.
Let’s look at this photograph together and see if it means more to us than a picture, perhaps reaching beyond the barrier of a photographic print to an artistic print and even a piece of art. First we may feel the impact and yet a gentle, soft and tender impression radiates from the image. Truly every mother can feel and relate to this and we can extend this to every human being with a heart, in their own way moved with feeling.
I decided that a warm black and white would express the overall story in a way that colour could not. By eliminating the colour it forces the viewer not only to observe the natural beauty but to see beyond it and enter into the story. In this manner by eliminating what would or could interfere, each viewer is allowed to exercise their own emotion.
The down cast eyes, perhaps she is looking at her baby girl. The baby is fast asleep in the mother’s gentle and protective arms, a truly safe place. What an image of love. It can’t be expressed in any better way; a trusting child within a complete circle of life... life begets life.
Left to right composition makes it easy for the viewer to enter into the photograph and the circular design soothes the viewer to study the image a little longer. The Mother’s eyes are in the right thirds, a most powerful composition location; the golden mean to strengthen her role in child rearing. The strength of a mother can never be underestimated. In quiet solitude there is a feeling of movement by the noticeable diagonal composition in the photograph as shown in the work print with lines to help you see why I cropped and used space as I did. I love the V-shape in the image as it suggests a tight bond in the crook of the mother’s arm and the circle around the baby’s face and clinched fist as if she was hanging on for dear life. The gentleness of the mother’s expression tells us all we need to know about her feelings as a tender loving mother. The top left space gives us breathing room to view what was captured in a split second.
It was a wonderful honour when the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria in British Columbia displayed this image along side many great masterpieces. The privilege of a photograph is that we can revisit the image over and over again, especially when displayed in a proper size to be enjoyed by all onlookers, a joy to behold.
“Love is the muscle that can’t be over worked; in every relationship, in all we do and are!”
-Klaus Bohn
When I saw my daughter, Tammy, drawing her Cabbage Patch Kids doll it inspired me to set up a staged photograph that I eventually turned into a very popular poster which is still selling to this day. One of these posters is even in Magic Crystal Valley, the largest Cabbage Patch Kids Museum in the world with over 6,000 dolls on display.
This was a tense moment for Tammy because she was proud that I wanted her to model for me again and to make it believable, she concentrated on what I told her to do. “Look at the doll and envision how you will draw her; this will be a famous picture of you, your doll and the art work you have just begun,” I told her.
I love the feeling and purpose, its intensity. As some of us will remember, there was a time when Cabbage Patch Kids dolls caused a mania all over the free world, well the western world perhaps. People lined up for hours just to purchase a doll for their child or for a collection or just to say, “I have one!”
The set up took time but capturing this image went quickly because it would have been impossible to hold this moment for very long, especially with someone so young. I needed to be ready and coach her with the right verbal cues and tonality. Timing is everything in photography. Having studied Neuro-Linguistic Programming or NLP I discovered how our body language, voice, eye movement and just about everything that is by definition non-word communication does in fact communicate. The meaning of words is not always accurate to the listener and it is only when we interpret the words using both sound and body language that they suggest true communication.
Look at the Animal Kingdom. Until recently it was believed that animals, birds and fish couldn’t send messages to one another but we are learning that communication is not only by words. True communication is sent by our emotions, suggested through our body language and just the sounds we make have an influence, communicating without saying a word. My friend William McKay told me about Baba Hari Dass, a silent monk who has not spoken since 1952 and communicates by writing on a small chalkboard. He has taken his vow of silence to a higher level and communicates not only through the written word but also by his powerful presence. I’m sure every word is thought out before it is written. Wouldn’t this world be different if we all communicated in this manner?
Another friend of mine, Jasmine Kinnear, is a Feline Behaviour Consultant and has written several books about cats (www.confessionsofacatbreeder.com). When I read some of Jasmine’s books I was totally unaware how much cats communicate. Shortly thereafter I was given, or should I say persuaded, to look after my daughter’s cat when she moved to Victoria, British Columbia. This was to be a temporary arrangement until she settled into her new place with her cousin Heidi. The cat’s meow changes in the morning. Her meow is different as if to say, “Good morning, now feed me.” When she wants attention her tone changes once again. I need to learn her language as we all need to learn the language of our family, friends and spouses. If we could only learn to communicate with one another
