I have to admit that I’m a little bit emotional about writing this particular post. Masha and Denis have been our friends practically from the first time we met them. I’m convinced that many of us occasionally have periods in our life when we wonder if the “good old days” are gone. We wonder sometimes if anyone other than our families really care. We wonder when we’ll get to experience genuine human kindness again.
And then sometimes, something wonderful happens. God places people in your life to remind you of who we really are meant to be. It seems like chance, but it’s not. Veta and I know that Masha and Denis were two people that reminded us that there are still genuinely good people around us. There are people who look for ways to lift others up even though they have their own struggles. They’re an inspiration to us. So when Masha asked Veta if we could set up a portrait session to capture the love of their family as well as the beauty of Savannah’s springtime azaleas, we were elated. You see, Masha and Denis are from St. Petersburg (not the one in Florida) and they had never seen azaleas before coming to Savannah. Some things that we take for granted are so very lovely.
When shooting families, we almost tend to refrain from posing them. We recognize that posed formal family portraits are what usually end up over the mantle or on the desks at work. But it’s generally not what we do. It’s true that formal portraits arrange everyone wonderfully in a perfect setting with all of their faces well lit. But Veta and I are of the opinion that formal family portraits are remnants of a bygone era in photography when people having their portraits taken HAD to remain still to give the 8×10 camera the few seconds it required to properly expose. If our goal is to capture the love of a family, then how better can we do that than by capturing them as they act out their love for each other?
That little heartbreaker’s name is Evelyn and she’s quite the sweetie-pie. We hope you enjoy these photos that we captured on Evelyn’s three month birthday. (Couldn’t help myself on the last one, guys. I take full responsibility! – J)
