When I was shooting these images of my daughter, I instantly recalled the work of one of my favorite photographers, Aaron Siskind. His expertise and talent in the darkroom is almost unmatched. While in college, I had the opportunity to go through an original portfolio box of his prints from “Terrors and Pleasures of Levitation”. There are artists that stay with you. Their images come back to you through your own viewfinder. Mr. Siskind’s work is the type of work that does not translate well into books. You simply have to see his prints in person…or be standing in the right place with the right lens while your daughter is flying through the air.

I’m always curious to see how children see the world. I’ve found that when you bend down and take pictures of kids at their eye level, you see so much more of their character. This shot is on film. I try and try to get this look with a digital camera and Photoshop, but it’s just not the same. Call me old-fashioned. (Or just old.) Either way, I won’t be giving up my film cameras anytime soon.

Emerson is learning how to shoot. With as many pictures as I’ve taken of her, she probably feels like the paparazzo follow her everywhere she goes.

She’s having fun now getting behind the camera. She has a couple of kid-friendly cameras and I also let her play with my old digital ones. The shutter lag with digital can make taking pictures of fast dogs a challenge, but she’s persistent. And I’m…proud.

I love shooting kids with a Lensbaby. They just came out with a great new lens. It is called the ‘Composer’. There is a lot more repeatability with the new one than the older models.

This is one of the boys next door. He is one of my favorite kids to photograph. He is trying to “drink” some rain. He has a copy of this on his bedroom wall.

Spending can get away from you when you are carefree and somebody else is paying the bill. I am very thankful for what I have when I see how the rest of the world lives…