Sofia and Dorothea
14th January 
no responses · Blog Just one more nostalgic look back at this Summer before the snow starts coming down and we all hibernate. Nostalgic seems to be the word of the day for me today.
I had worked as a professional nanny in my previous lifetime. And I did enjoy it very much, I still think of all the kids I used to care for and helped raise as my little darlings. When I see them now, I find myself in a state of shock to see young adults that have taken over the little boys and girls I used to play with and peal grapes for and scold when they didn’t listen. I used to photograph children for fun.
Some of those moments are so quick in passing, so fragile, you want to remember them fully. And one of the appeals of photography for me is the fact, that a small piece of paper with an image on it can instantly transport you into a specific moment in your life. All of a sudden you remember the smell in the air, how you felt that day and who took that picture, the song that was playing on the radio and a whole kaleidoscope of little details you could consider unimportant, yet it’s those that complete a memory. So in that sense, photograph is a very powerful thing, one that may touch peoples hearts long into the future.
Children change so quickly in so many ways, photographing them offers it’s own challenges and pleasures.
These two little girls are my nieces. And since they live in Germany, I see them very little. I took them out in the field behind my parents house for some girlie fun, so that we could have some privacy to play, I wanted an environment where we could make the picture taking the fun part of our day. I appreciate childhood for what it is, I don’t care to create an illusion of perfect, spill proof and plastic life. I prefer real memories to made up ones.
We were having a good time, but if there were tantrums that day and mud on the dress, I would still photograph the fun in that. Forcing children into doing something is a sure way of turning them off of wanting to have anything to do with you. Interaction is the key. Children are people with thoughts, opinions, ideas. They learn to communicate quickly, they try to do it even before they can speak. If picture taking is a part of the play and they get to be a part of the creation of the photograph, their creativity comes out and they enjoy it that much more.
The next time I will see my nieces they will be much taller. I will have missed out on a lot, but at least I have all these photographs to remind me and them of the great time we have when we are together.
