Saturday, February 7, 2009

David

I was invited to "pizza night" for this family last night and I was able to do a few more photographs of the boys. This is David, age 12. He's the "leader of the pack" in every way for his brothers in this adoptive family. He's the oldest, biggest, and probably carries the most baggage (dealing with anger, abandonment, etc). He and his brother were dying of pneumonia on the streets in Russia when they were taken to an orphanage - not a pretty place. The others look up to him and are into whatever he's into. His mom says he can be suspicious of people and definitely has had to deal with attachment issues. This is the first family I've photographed, but it seems like this will be an issue with kids who are adopted when they're older. He thought the lighting equipment was cool and he said he liked posing for the portraits. I told him he was a natural. Do you like any of these? Ideas? Suggestions? I'm not sure how well I did on the conversion to black and white. More of the others to come...Thanks!

4 comments:

Bek said...

The first photo and the last two are the most interesting for me. My favorite is probably the second from last, though I like the depth in the last one, too.

Conceptually, I don't like the others not only because they are awkwardly close but I also think in this case you want to be especially careful of not including views that imply being looked down upon. Then again, maybe you are looking for sort of tension/meaning?

Leslie McDaniel said...

Thanks, Bek. I was definitely thinking about what the camera angle would mean...so I was just trying out all angles - eye level, from above, and below. I'll keep working...

Kelly Gorham said...

#1, 2, 3, 5 all are perfect in my mind. Well done on getting close with the wide angle. Classic news photography. Excellent lighting. It's natural but sculpts the subject. I love the angle.

I wouldn't change a thing on these photos.

Robert Capa said "If your pictures aren't good enough then you're not close enough."

Ian van Coller said...

These are a huge improvement. Nice lighting and use of depth-of-filed.