For me, photography centers around fleetingness. I know that time inevitably passes. I remember experiencing that revelation when I was just a child. Having the vivid memory of what I call my “5-year-old existentialist crisis,” when I realized my memory was finite, gives me a lot of respect for the minds and spirits of children.
I know it’s possible and even probable that we are communicating with them on a level not represented accurately by their level of mastery of language and vocabulary. We can hear where they’re coming from if we really listen. And, in doing so, the child is honored; the child understands that she has an important, unique voice, and it’s her life’s work to learn to communicate it authentically in the world.
So, when we photograph children from a place of honoring their opinion, we are holding it up for ourselves and everyone else to see. We are saying, “Look at this marvelous and special perspective that has taken the form of this child!” We are telling the world how important it is to be an individual.
(Moms – check out this post on my facebook page about photography workshops, just for you!)
