Congratulations!

Well, his mom just sent this little note:

“I also wanted to let you know that since I sent the jpegs to the agency, they’ve been sending them out with very good results!  James shot a national commercial for JC Penny on Tuesday (which should be airing some time in the next few weeks) & has a call back for a Johnson & Johnson commercial today.  They all wanted him to audition after seeing the pics  :)  Thanks so much for getting awesome shots that really show off our little guy’s personality!!”

Congratulations little James! Woo hoo! You were already a superstar in my eyes (and mom and dad’s too)!

But perhaps one of the most unexpected things is this: it facilitates learning on so many levels.

When I first set out, I swore I’d never be one of those photographers who callously demand their clients, “Smile” and “Say Cheese.”

And yet, somewhere along the way, I noticed I began asking people to smile. As I reviewed candid shots, I’d consider those featuring beaming grins and uninhibited outbursts of laughter to be the holy grail, the shining gems, the ones my clients would undoubtedly fall in love with.

But why the change? I searched deep within.

Reflecting on the images I found most meaningful in my own family, almost none of them involved smiles, and in fact, very few of them featured expressive faces at all. The images I treasured most spoke to a “moment,” an “emotion,” a “milestone,” a unique characteristic or aspect of a relative’s personality. Smiling just wasn’t required.

As a photographer I’ve shot a bunch of weddings reflecting a wide array of cultures. I haven’t failed to notice that while at some weddings, groups stand at attention, waiting for their pictures to be taken with grand smiles on their faces, in others, people stand with unexpressive faces, facing the camera, waiting for the image to be taken, their presence to be formally documented–all smile-free. Even when I tell them to smile (thinking this is surely what the bride and groom must want) I’m met with the same unexpressive faces.

And then I recall an article I read some time ago…in my former life as an ex-HR girl, corporate trainer and leadership development consultant…(gosh that feels like forever ago). Anyway, in the article, an American girl of Korean ancestry shared her experience traveling to Korea. She was consistently recognized as an American and they’d tsk tsk as she went about her way, behaving in an oh so American manner. It was surprising to her. Wasn’t she Korean after all? Didn’t she look 100% Korean? Sure she was and sure she did. So how did they know she was American?

Long story short, it was her smile that gave her away. Culturally, Koreans don’t smile as much as we Americans, she wrote. In a culture that values reserved displays of emotion, smiling constantly is just not cool. And so it is that smiling for the camera is just not part of the equation.

Over the years, so many photojournalists have captured amazingly beautiful images depicting citizens of other cultures going about their daily life. They provide us with a peek into other cultures, other ways of thinking and being. Smiles aren’t always present or expected in those images. Why? Because on some level, we get it. Life isn’t easy for everyone around the globe. And we find deem these images more real, more honest. But why then do we expect fellow Americans to smile all the time? Life isn’t easy all the time for everyone in America either.

It simply comes down to culture.

It’s just what we do.

Put a camera in someone’s face and the expectation is that they’ll smile. Place our children before a camera and we tell them to smile.

Well, for the record, I think it’s great when people smile. But I also think it’s great when they don’t. I see my job as capturing the spirit, the truth, the essence of someone’s personality.  And sometimes, at a particular point in time, smiling just doesn’t tell that story.

So I won’t push you to smile. Don’t push yourself to do so either. Just be yourself and enable your children to be themselves as well. A person’s unbridled spirit is always, always, always going to be much more compelling in images than an obligatory smile would be.

Trust me on that one!

: )

Have a great week!

Susan

All of a sudden, here it was! Their big day!

Following are a few of my favorite images from the event.

Child Photography on Long Island by Susan Eckert

Child Photography on Long Island by Susan Eckert

Child Photography on Long Island by Susan Eckert

Child Photography on Long Island by Susan Eckert

Then we moved indoors and shot some pics against a backdrop we set up in mom’s kitchen!

Child Photography on Long Island by Susan Eckert

Child Photography on Long Island by Susan Eckert

Child Photography on Long Island by Susan Eckert

All in all, a very fun day!

Thank you guys!

: )

That’s because it’s my mantra. My mission every single session I take on.

I see the beauty in everything, everyone.

Almost always, the beauty I seek to capture is there, shining like radiant sunlight, the minute I tap into emotion. Whether it’s an interaction between two people, or, an expression or mood powerfully communicated by one, I know I’ve captured it when an image makes me well up. (I’m a mush, I admit it! But for the record, so are many of the people I shoot as well apparently! LOL!)

Getting to know a little about the people I’m shooting becomes an important pathway to shooting images that have great meaning for the person I’m shooting–something they will forever treasure, because the images capture a poignant, magical, or once-in-a-lifetime moment in their life. And the interesting part is that, perhaps ironically, these images become, for me, too, something of a diary. A record of the meaningful interactions I’ve been blessed to have as a photographer, and as a citizen of this earth. And so I cherish each experience and the resulting images as well.

Portrait of a beautiful woman

Ingredients:

One very big cupcake

One adorable little one year old

Lots of coaxing by mom and/or dad

A cheerleading, multi-tasking photographer

And voila! Instant magic!

Mom was so pleased with this montage, that she used it for her thank you cards!

Turning one was a smash!

So, if you’re thinking you might want to do portraits for the holiday season (whether for greeting cards, a birthday, or anniversary, don’t wait to reserve your preferred date til it’s too late.

Email me, call me at 631.398.4487, or check back here for further details.

And have a wonderful July 4th weekend!

All my best,

Susan