Those in the know will tell you making photographic shots of close family members can sometimes cause a big headache. People are less focussed. The shoot always goes past the allotted time. You take extra shots because you want to be sure to make your family members look even better than they are. When that family member is your son in the middle of puberty (14 going on 15 years), a photo shoot can take on new dimensions!
Sitting inside the house the weather looked nice on a March afternoon. It was already a surprise that he agreed to do the shoot at all! The understanding was to go to a specific place with specific features. So camera and tripod packed, we embarked on the 3 kilometre walk to the location under the biggest bridge in The Netherlands. As we walked along, the weather became less friendly than it looked. It became really cold.
We started wondering if it was wise to even go ahead with what was essentially a practise shoot, using the natural bright lights of the early spring day. This was not helped by the constant protest and agitating voice of the teenager who was going to be the subject of the shoot. It was hardly a walk in the park. He had a comment about everything from the walking distance, to the weather, to his walking shoes, to his hair, his dad (me!) and just about everything else on earth!
When we finally got to the shooting location there were other people around doing their own stuff too. Being a very shy person, my son is always uncomfortable when he feels people are watching him. So we had to find a discreet way of starting the shoot. It turned out to be a very fast photo shoot because of the weather. We took about 160 pictures in about 25 minutes! What made it even faster than planned was the aforementioned weather. When he had to take off his jacket for a particular shoot, it was so cold for the few seconds that he practically turned white! I had to therefore be extremely fast.
In the end this almost impromptu photo session was very educative. It produced some really nice shots that reflected a whole range of emotions the subject went through. What’s more we got a very scarce father and son time together. I must confess, my ear and head ached from the hour long banters and obstinate protestations from my loving son!
