light-headed

she who seeks too much

Cynthia — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:08:24 +0000

What could I say to you that would be of value, except that perhaps
you seek too much, that as a result of your seeking you cannot find.

~Hermann Hesse

anything can be

Cynthia — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:39:13 +0000

Listen to the MUSTN’TS, child,
Listen to the DON’TS
Listen to the SHOULDN’TS
The IMPOSSIBLES, the WON’TS
Listen to the NEVER HAVES.
Then listen close to me -
Anything can happen, child,
ANYTHING can be.

~Shel Silverstein

eccentric

Cynthia — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:50:16 +0000

Develop your eccentricities while you are young.
That way, when you get old, people won’t think you’re going gaga.

~David Ogilvy

I know, I’m running perilously close to crossing the line when it comes to posting too many photo’s of a toddler in nothing but a pull-up diaper. But come on, how audacious is this chick, fearlessly struttin’ her stuff all over town square? If I owned just a tenth of her cheekiness who knows what I might accomplish.

As it is I’ll just stand back (with camera) in amazement and wish……

~Cynthia

open

Cynthia — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:22:29 +0000

There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child. There are seven million.

~Walt Streightiff

tentative

Cynthia — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 11:15:52 +0000

And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets
are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.

~Roald Dahl

silly brothers

Cynthia — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 11:35:11 +0000

These three silly brothers have such an awesome mom. I get so excited when she calls to schedule a session because I know she really *sees* her sons and is looking for images that reflect her unabashed love and acceptance of each of them exactly as they are. She is no frills and all fun, and few things bring me greater joy than watching her face as she gleefully pours over the images of her guys.

What I love most is how she never wishes the images were anything other than what they are. It’s so easy to look at a given photograph and think, “this would be perfect if only he were looking at the camera”, or “I wish her smile wasn’t lopsided and goofy here”. The mom of these boys sees a bit differently though, in her remarkable ability to wholeheartedly appreciate what is. Her criteria for deciding which images she will display on the walls of her home? Quite simply, the ones that most profoundly make her heart sing. Not a bad path to follow with regard to any decision making process, yes?

~Cynthia

sure of you

Cynthia — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 09:25:21 +0000

“Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. “Pooh,” he whispered.

“Yes, Piglet?”

“Nothing,” said Piglet, taking Pooh’s paw, “I just wanted to be sure of you.””

~Winnie the Pooh

the observer

Cynthia — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 12:40:20 +0000

The observer, when he seems to himself to be observing a stone, is really,
if physics is to be believed, observing the effects of the stone upon himself.

~Bertrand Russell

This was such a good feeling moment for me, where the resulting image seems like a minor miracle given the conditions at the time. The area was actually quite crowded and I’d been having trouble isolating my little subject from the many passersby. I was also keenly aware that I was being “observed” by several people curious about what I was up to photographing a child not exactly suitably dressed for portraits in public. Since I’m not one for crowds, and shy about attention being placed on me, the photographing presented a bit of a predicament.

The funny thing is, I didn’t need to be photographing at all. We were done, the shots of the little girl in her cute outfits complete, and the objectives of the session had been met. Her mother had undressed her only so she could cool off in the fountain before heading home, and since it was late in the day and I hadn’t had dinner I was hungry and ready to leave myself.

So many of life’s little delicious moments are made such by the awareness of just how fleeting they are. There’s a sense of urgency, but not of the kind that induces panic or nervousness. Instead it’s the keen understanding that there’s no time for hesitancy and no room for holding back. You must simply jump in and allow yourself to be swallowed whole.

There was a pure little girl, the softest waning light, and the observer. Me. I don’t know where anyone else was in this moment. It can’t have been quiet though I remember it only as perfect silence. I wish so much that I could hold on to this peaceful/joyful/confident feeling longer.

~Cynthia

freckles and curls

Cynthia — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 10:23:42 +0000

I’m prepared to look you in the eye.
Look me in the eye, and if you see familiarity
Then celebrate the contradiction.
Help me when I fall to walk unafraid.

~Michael Stipe, REM “Walk Unafraid”

mask

Cynthia — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:43:44 +0000

Man is least himself when he talks in his own person.
Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.

~Oscar Wilde

I wouldn’t typically photograph a child in such a costume as this, much less share the resulting image here, but I find this expression intriguing for such a little one. It happened so quickly that I wasn’t altogether certain of what I’d seen until later viewing the image. Oscar Wilde’s quote immediately came to my mind.

Interesting concept that in the wearing of a mask one is most likely to tell the truth, and one I may have disputed in the past. But I see now how this whole “light-headed” thing I do on the web is no less a mask than the peacock mask shown here, and is surprisingly the place I’m most honest and myself.

~Cynthia