Sweet Spots and Sweethearts

Generally, I don’t find people all that interesting to photograph, or at least I don’t feel a need to pull out the camera when people are around.  Perhaps seniors and their faces etched with years I’d feel differently about; at least there is inherent character, something I look for in people.  And then, of course, on the opposite end of that spectrum, are the babes under a year old.  Even certain toddlers will make me pause in my tracks to look a little closer – some toddlers possess an undeniable and delightful charm that I’m sure would transfer readily in an image.  It’s exactly that kind of nature that I look for.  Like color, I can usually spot it a ways out.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of photographing a four month old little guy for Halloween.  He was dressed up as a pig in a blanket with a pink pig hat and a yellow blanket.  I took 134 pictures, working with several areas about their home and yard, trying to hit upon that one photo that succeeded in capturing his little magic.  I knew instantly that this was the one that would seal the day, right as I pushed the shutter button.  It’s a feel kind of thing and I felt it.  It’s akin to hitting a softball with a bat in the sweet spot, where the motion seems effortless, without resistance, and the ball feels as if it’s been sliced in half.  Kind of waxing poetic, but this sort of thing does happen when I’m pushing the shutter button.  Sometimes I just know and I’m learning to trust that instinct.

Here’s the best shot of the day, Mr. Pig in a Blanket:

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