Self Portrait

Clever little girl. I hope you'll give her a print! Great to encourage children to take analog photographs; they need to wait to see the result instead of the instant gratification of digital photography.

Well, the girl was a great model! she followed our instructions with great care, posing with an intense concentration. Of course, we gave her the best shots, professionaly printed, together with those portraits that she did. She was giving advice about where to look, and what mood we shall express (dark and serious for myself, intense but not smiling for my wife). We explained to her the following development process in detail, but unfortunately she was unable to attend in person... I'm very sorry but i cannot post the shots we did to her; her mother was consenting immediately, but her father is not available (he was separated) and accordingly to the Italian Law his consent is mandatory. i learned that, sometimes, we don't trust enough the youngsters. After maybe 10 minutes of practical explanations, she mastered the focusing, shooting at the right moment (after correcting our pose) and winding of the Bronica like a pro. The camera was on a tripod, a Manfrotto with three separate movements, of course lowered to her height. The only thing that we did was setting the exposure. I tell you, it was a great experience... you must consider that we don't have any son or daughter, so we are not accustomed to childs...

Children only know the limits the environment, peers, and especially their parents teach them. Treat them like adults, you get such things as a Dalia Lama. Tell them they're too young to understand, they believe you. They're usually a bit short on an extended vocabulary, which means you need to really understand what you're trying to tell/teach them. And they don't have a large life experience to fill in the gaps in your teaching,,, which also means you really need to understand and deliver.Sounds like you really understand the fundamentals of photography,,, congratulations,,, great job!

well, that wonder girl (remember, 5 years old; but coming from Romania, and living a kind of a hard life that our childrens will never experience, thanks to God) was very willing to understand, and never lost concentration. she was aware of what's a digital camera; i had only to explain that with a film camera there was no way to "shoot, see and then try again" but she had to stare at the subject, drive him/her where she wanted him/her to go, and when the result was what she wanted AND ONLY THEN hit the shutter. Then the "magic moment" was lost, and we shall see the results in a day or so. It is like cooking a cake, i said. You mix the ingredients, then when you "feel" that the cake will be good, put it in the oven, and wait. When we shoot her (i really would like to post her photos, but really i can't) i just told her what i wanted: "be serious, don't act foolish like a child because you are a little woman, not a puppet. Look at the camera as you were reproaching me, or convincing me of something important" and there she was, grown by at least 5 years, and taking it so seriously that i was somewhat scared. Then he was shooting at me, and on her little voice she was piping "you are an old, serious man, so be thatvway" and that's the result.... but i tell you, i don't like to be called "old"...

What fun! (and we all get old) ;-) Oh, and at least your hair isn't white) I've met one very young child like that. years ago working in a hospital emergency room. Amazing 4 or 5 year old, turning blue from asthma. We did a chest X-Ray of him,,, here was a little kid, in major trouble breathing, looking at the xray, feeling his collar bone and asking questions. The nurse and I wanted to steal him from the grandparents that were raising him.You just don't get to meet those kind of people very often, young or old.