photography's kitchen table

I'm all off-balance. I am drawn repeatedly to Ben, who bats eyelashes and grins and dances without prompting. He's easy pickings. Evan, once that way, is now too cool for me. He runs away, or scowls, or resignedly offers a stiff smile, or goes vacant-faced.

And so these days, it's shot after shot of Ben. I favour him -- with the camera, anyway -- because he's easy. And I mourn the loss of Evan-as-subject. Because he's still so beautiful. I watch him, the thoughtful way he absorbs things, the delight with which he greets the world. But by the time I grab the camera, he's turned into an insolent 13-year-old. MAGIC.

This is all I've gotten in weeks. And a flub, with Ben in the foreground. But you know what? These are my sons, right now. Evan gives sass. Ben gazes, studying, adoring.

And so, click.

+++

Well over sixty fantastic questions came forward for the photography Q&A series I'm going to start here -- I'll begin answering them right away (with a little help from my friends, because it's more fun that way), but not from the posture of expertise. We'll sit at the kitchen table with both our cameras and a couple of cold beer. You ask me what I do, and I'll tell you, and you tell me what you do, and off we'll go.

Unless it's a question about bribing children with cold hard sugar.

I can claim expertise at that.

Comments

[thordora]

Mine are the same way...but it's Viv that poses and is easy, and Ros that screams "NO PICTURES!" and pouts.

Cute. Annoying.

Looking forward to your answers. :D

[Anne]

This is a really great, cool picture! As you describe in your post, Evan is being SO Evan, and Ben is being Ben. It couldn't be more perfect than that.

[Emily]

I love how he's holding lupines in one hand and the rest of him looks as if he might start gangsta rapping. About lupines. It makes me hee. So tough that it morphs into cute.

[m]

These are lupines, yo!
My mama likes to grow.
Tall and purple
like a twisted nurple
Yeeeaaahh boyz.
My mama likes to grow.
My mama likes to grow.

p.s. So excited about the print and the conversations that are going to happen here. SO many good questions.

[sweetsalty kate]

M, I saw this yesterday and it still cracks me up. Pickin', yo.

[Cheryl Arkison]

Wow, Evan looks like Justin!

[m]

What else is a white boy growing up in rural NS going to rap about?