House of Bryan.

The idea of photographing children fascinates me. Forget trying to sit them down and make them pose and smile. That little quivering lip always shows up. Someone always wants a lollipop, the ultimate bargaining chip, the peace offering for ONE smile, one glance into my lens. Thankfully, as quickly as those crocodile tears appear the other end of the spectrum shows up. A child's laughter can melt even Jack Frost's frozen heart.


Greyson and Asher Bryan are the kids that make me envious of families. They carry the wonderful little boy traits of mischief and innocence. A contradiction it would seem, but I am always proven wrong. One moment they could be attempting to wander off or eat whatever is within an arms reach, and the next they are clutching the shirt collars and their mothers necklace for fear of losing her. Tissue please.






Innocence and mischief at work.

For the better part of the shoot I watched, followed and prompted only to get their attention towards the lens for nearly two hours. They are inquisitive little boys, Asher looks as if he might know all the secrets to the universe, but his little grin indicates he is not going to tell you a thing. Greyson was the great explorer of Battery Park. And as much as he loved my camera, he would be come just as shy. Which made for the perfect shots of sly rascality.

As for the Family shots, they are always entertaining. The parents spend most of the time trying to engage their children and make them smile. Put them in front of the camera and the multi-tasking ability kicks into high gear. But Jason and Heather pulled it off spectacularly, thus creating the portraits of the House of Bryan. Quite the a photogenic family I'd have to say. I knew there would not be a dull moment in this shoot. There never really is with children. It reopened the love I have for photographing little people. They rarely make the same face twice, you have to catch them in the moment. And quite honestly, I would do well to learn from them and their philosophies on life. Smell the flowers, laugh at everything, smile more, fall down, get up, eat something funny looking. 25 years of walking the earth does not make me an expert, especially on little things. Detailed things. That is what children have taught me. Slow down. Pay attention to the details. And maybe not to eat so much sand next time...


Big thanks to Jason, Heather, Greyson and Asher Bryan!