Children Grow Up..but our Memories Linger

 When the mother of these children hired me  years ago to photograph her family and her Mom who was visiting.. I always want to take the session beyond what I am asked for by looking for the tender moments that sometimes we take for granted and seeing where it takes us.We asked to them to  sit there at their tree-house. The little girl was protective of her little brother.  He had a stone that he didn't want to let go of .I asked her to stay close and if she could give him a kiss and this is what happened.
I love the  colours.I really love  their curled toes and though we do not see their faces enough information is visible.
What is not "visible" is what we feel when looking at it. And that is what makes it so memorable.That is a "successful" image.Not the awards it wins ( which it did) but the feeling it gives us.
 Flash forward to this year 15 years later and now the  sister is leaving her little brother to live in Australia.
Their father asked if we could make some images before she left. I've never forgotten this image from years ago and near the end of our session  suggested we try to working with it..The emotions were there, knowing that everything would be  changing soon for them, nearly as much as they had since this image was taken I took the kids to my studio garden where I asked him to choose a stone to hold .These were fake stones with a words engraved on them.. The choice was  Integrity or Endurance.He chose Endurance.That spoke volumes to me.
The last image is one of my favorites...as it represents the reverse role..of he being protective of her but the kids preferred the happier look,so you choose and send me a note about your thoughts below on the comments.!  Thanks again for asking me to come into your lives again..and I look forward to our next meeting.