When a child teaches me how to be an adult...and other lessons

Ok.....  Meet Cam... an 11 year old actor in town currently in the Rep/Living Room production of "Carousel"   We have an early morning shoot scheduled on a freezing day downtown. He shows up with father in tow... sporting a ready to shoot outfit and several options to boot.  He smiles politely, extends his small hand and says "Its a pleasure to meet you Manon, Thank you for taking the time to take my pictures  today."  This wasn't rehearsed as I found out soon enough... This kid is a real throw back, He was a gentleman in a boys body and had the manners and air of Clark Gable.... no kidding.  I am always struck by the folks who I shoot.  Everyone's personality is so different and unique in it's own special way.  I enjoy the people I shoot and I love their stories.  But it never ceases to amaze me how I'm always surprised by what people bring to the table and what is special about them.  For Cam... It was his quiet maturity that comes across so strongly in his photographs.  His folks did a good job as they say, and no doubt he will grow up to conquer whatever he puts his mind too.  He reminded me that simply being polite, kind  and appreciative is a strength I sometimes don't possesses if I'm in a hurry, or I'm impatient with life's demands, or just the sometimes everyday stresses life throws at us all. He owned his positive attitude effortlessly and you could tell he was content.  It nice to have that energy coming at you because you can't help but to absorb it, and I was thankful to share in that.  Thanks "kid" for reminding me of what its like to be an "adult" and how to act like one.

Dont shoot me its been forever I know... But Ill shoot you....

I was asked to shoot a production rehearsal for a play called shipwrecked the other night produced by the Spinning Tree Theatre Co. here in Kansas City, and after a long day of multiple shoots, a show to boot and just the overall fatigue of the day catching up to me.... I was honestly tired and run down. I had already decided that all I needed was nothing better than a nap and nice dreams to carry me through to the next day.  Its ironic how when you make up your mind to feel a certain way, your whole being will be sure to follow your instructions...  Suffice it to say - this shoot transported my sensibilities back to a time when I was full of imagination and making up story after story without a break from sunrise to sunset (perhaps this is why I wasn't the best student at certain times in my life.)  I was always a creative child, but sometimes forget the power of imagination as an adult and how it can lift you from your everyday ordinary to the possibility of the extraordinary.  How dreams can seem real and anything is possible if you just believe.  Now of course I wont go into a synopsis of the play and what I saw, because its a type of story that simply has to be seen to be appreciated and understood.  But I was thankful to be given an opportunity to be lifted from my day with the memory of what it was like to be a child again.  Thanks Spinning Tree...  Shipwrecked Feb 1-17th at the Paul Mesner Puppet Studio.  Take anyone who likes to smile.