Sometimes it makes sense to look back in order to better understand where I am now or where I hope to go next. I made this picture in the late 1970’s, and I look at it often. These girls lived across the street, and, as I usually do with kids, I befriended them. One day I asked their mom if I could photograph them, and she said sure. We ended up doing several shoots over time, but this image is the one that spoke to me then and still does today. The girls were standing there, projecting their most authentic selves, and suddenly the younger one reached her out her hand and placed it ever so gently over her big sister’s heart. It was such an unexpected, simple, and lovely gesture. The picture I made just a second after she and her sister had this quiet, knowing exchange always reminds me to be open to receiving what is offered and to be grateful for the gifts that are given. Often that’s exactly what I need to remember as I make my way forward, both as a photographer and as a human being.
Sometimes it makes sense to look back in order to better understand where I am now or where I hope to go next. I made this picture in the late 1970’s, and I look at it often. These girls lived across the street, and, as I usually do with kids, I befriended them. One day I asked their mom if I could photograph them, and she said sure. We ended up doing several shoots over time, but this image is the one that spoke to me then and still does today. The girls were standing there, projecting their most authentic selves, and suddenly the younger one reached her out her hand and placed it ever so gently over her big sister’s heart. It was such an unexpected, simple, and lovely gesture. The picture I made just a second after she and her sister had this quiet, knowing exchange always reminds me to be open to receiving what is offered and to be grateful for the gifts that are given. Often that’s exactly what I need to remember as I make my way forward, both as a photographer and as a human being.