Joel and Phaedra's Family

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     As much as I love documenting life as it is, pursuing a sort of very intimate photojournalism, I do believe there is a place for portrait photography.  There is the sense of the imposed where poses and backgrounds are intentional and even pre-determined.   The subjects smile and we have no true sense of who the people really are behind those lovely faces.  There is a respectful emotional distance. There is no candor nor casualness about the photo.  

     I liken that to the type of behavior one puts on before an authority figure like a king, or judge or one's future-in-laws or to a stranger.  There is a place for that.  There is a time for keeping one's mouth shut, to repress one's more untamed emotions or candor out of respect for the person whom we are with.  It may not be comfortable or real or sincere but such behavior shows an appreciation for tradition, for the importance of authority figures, for the practice of self-discipline of going beyond one's comfort zone to follow the forms and etiquette required by the situation.  It requires thinking more of the other person than oneself.  

     Conversely, I think our culture is awash with too much reality, too much sincerity, too much rejecting of the norms that we've often become vulgar and crass--TMI, to use the diction of the day.  Is there anything sacred and intimate that we keep off from our Facebook accounts, blogs, and Instagrams?  It is refreshing to at times indulge in the opposite.  There is a time for liturgy, order, propriety, and hiddenness in the intricate workings of our lives.  I sometimes long for the quiet, the mysterious, and the unknown.   Shadows and textures and partial revelations can be good for the soul.  

     Yet I believe the 2 should always be in tension.  There should be both.  One is better understood in the context of the other.  Discipline and relaxation, fascade and sincerity, posed and the unfettered natural state.  I don't think our souls can really be content with one without the other.  There is a need to find a way to express oneself in the public and in private.   There is a need to be challenged with engaging in polite behavior as well as a place for letting down one's hair, venting one's emotions or being very real.

     In that vein, I present this photo-shoot, taken over 2 different days, separated by a couple of months in between the sessions.  The first set is clearly more formal and dominated by frames which surround the family.  And then in the 2nd day of shooting, we were in a more relaxed setting.  While we still had plenty of more posed shots, I was able to capture more candid moments as well.  

     On a more personal note, this family is so special to me.  I met Phaedra at a park day over 4 years ago.  We clicked in so many ways and I was able to join a homeschool co-op she was running at her church.  I admire her in many ways and value her friendship deeply.  It is with sadness that I share that she and her family are moving out of state very soon.  I don't want to think about it yet!  Hence, I present this photo-shoot to her in a spirit of love and gratitude.

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