Family dynamics
December 22, 2007 Filed in: Photography
Probably the most fun I can ever have in photography is shooting the relationship between parents and their kids. No matter what age the children are, there is always this dynamic with their parents that spans everything from adoration, resent, love and envy. Kids have to leave a lot of their lives in the capable hands of an adult right through into their teenage years or even into early adulthood. Kids may feel their parents are unjust, over-protective, too lovey-dovy, don’t give enough space… but under it all, there is a true, unconditional love and adoration for their parents that runs so deep it’s undeniable.
What I love best about shooting this parent-child dynamic is making that undeniable love shine through, regardless of how embarrassed the teenager is with their parent, or how annoyed a tween is with their guardian, or despite the child of any age thinking they are too cool to be there, etc… It’s fun to work with that and turn those attitudes around on them or play into them. There is a certain pleasure that kids can derive from the juxtapositions of the stature and indeed their lot in life against that of their parents.
I will often place kids on stools to bring them to the height of their parents or even higher. I will dress kids as their parents would. I will get kids to mimic or mock certain characteristics of their parents. But best of all, I will get the parents to do all of the same but in reverse. The results make for fun, light hearted images that truly show what bonds lie between a parent and their child.
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