My grandma used to play a game with me called Hide the Thimble. I had to leave the room while she hid her sewing thimble (while I promised not to peek - fingers crossed). When I would come back she would sit on the couch and say "hot" or "cold" depending on where I was in relation to the sacred thimble. When I would get close to it, her eyes would light up and her voice would change - it was a sure sign I was close.
I liken this game of hot and cold to my job as a lifestyle photographer. When in conversation with clients at a session, I often have to find what makes them light up. We go through the obligatory small talk "cold" until I start to ask them about something that really matters to them "warm". As we talk more about the subject "hot", I can see their face physically change, from a softening of their eyes to a radiating glow that takes over. It's a light that comes from within and shines outward. It's called passion and it's one of the prettiest types of light I get to work with.
My client hired me to photograph her parents in this session as a gift to them. This couple has dedicated their lives to both adventure and service, as they have trained their horses for the police force and spent most of their lives in the force in one capacity or another. My client's mother (pictured above) was one of the first sworn police officers in the state of Michigan and now leads trail rides for women seeking adventure in her retirement years. It was when I asked her mother about her horses when I saw that sparkle in her eyes and her features soften - I had found that figurative thimble and it was beautiful. Take a peek...
