When you meet Noor you are immediately struck by her beautiful and captivating eyes. Noor is training in classical vocal performance and came to me for head shots and other images she could use for concert publicity. While Noor is incredibly kind, gentle and sweet, she also has a strength and composure that I hoped to capture. These qualities and her natural charisma and warmth translated effortlessly into the images. Noor has had a truly global life, living in numerous countries before going to school in the United States. We talked about her wide-ranging experiences and passion for music during the photo shoot. The day was beautiful, so after taking a number of photographs in my studio we went out and explored various locations.
There are often unanticipated rewards to being a photographer. Last week Christine came to my studio with her 18 month old son Michael. Christine wanted a portrait of the two of them for her husband Mark, who is in the Army and has been stationed in Afghanistan since the fall. I have a long history with this family. I photographed Christine and each of her three wonderful sisters when they were 18 months old, each when they made their first communions, then again when they were high school seniors. The tradition continues now with 18 month old Michael. I had so much fun photographing him. He was into the mechanics of my camera and managed to change the focusing point with his little but able fingers. Recently, Christine and her mother came back to the studio to view the photographs. While image choices were being discussed, I thought wouldn’t it be great to send Mark a little slide show of some of their favorites. With a little effort here in my studio a dad who is 6500 miles from home gets a glimpse of his wife and his ever growing son; and I hope that it delivers a lot of joy too.
I really enjoy photographing my clients and it is a thrill to connect again and again. I am honored to witness Emily’s many milestones. I photographed her Bat Mitzvah a decade ago, her high school senior portrait a few years later and I remembered her as a bright, thoughtful teenager. Fast forward to her wedding at the elegant Four Seasons Hotel in Boston and there she was, this beautiful bride. Again I saw that same wonderful glow, sweetness, intelligence and vitality. Her groom, David had a great sense of humor and a very affable way about him. I felt instantly like we had been friends for years. They had a magical night and I was thrilled to be there to record it all.
Photographing people is great fun. In a short period of time you meet, get to know and ultimately have the honor and responsibility of portraying a dimension of that person. David was an easy subject to photograph. He had an engaging personality. Within a few minutes I learned that he was once a CFO of my favorite candy company. A wonderful conversation followed about some of the candies I enjoyed growing up.
