Family album - core summer memories
For something different, by way of explaining what i believe to be important, in this post I’m sharing one of my personal family albums.
When I look back over the photographic lore that forms our core family memories, much of it has revolved around water, that most symbolic element, which speaks so eloquently of carefree summer holidays, freedom and youth. Summer water family photo sessions are something I have recently become decidedly passionate about.
This album tells the story of a trip to Bali a few years back, so the colours and foliage might be different, but the feeling is the same. The details are the little hooks of beauty that seal all this into our memories; the bowls of ice cold fruit, the silky leaves of the scented frangipani and the impossibly pink bougainvillia, the tiny glittering bubbles that backlight the laughing bodies as they are thrown into the air by holiday dad. This is the visceral experience. The personal, the colourful, the quixotic. Pay attention to what matters: light + feeling. Pay attention to what doesn’t matter: the rashies that no one would put on ‘for a photo shoot’, the goggles, the lack of matching outfits or blow dried hair. There is only an experience unfolding. Little hands and big teeth you will miss like hell (I do). There is joy, with the occasional featured sulk. There is inexplicable and iconic wandering around under a towel, which likely ended up in a fistfight (uncaptured). Apart from its situation in Bali, it’s all quite ordinary. There is a featured pineapple, card games in bathers, a dad in a pool throwing kids into the air. We’ve seen it all before, but it also feels really personal. It’s magnificent.
PS I feel the need to mention that there’s way less photos of M on this holiday because she got really sick with a mystery virus and spent a good deal of time in bed. Also, I appear in approximately 2 photos, shot on self timer. This is a crime. At the very least, please set your self timer up more often.
