They are young. They are beautiful, smart and funny. Their wings are ready to open. They are excited to fly to new heights, build a new nest, connect with new knowledge, embrace greater accountability, face new love... They are considered, ambitious, open, playful and inclusive. They are confident and full of energy. They do not consume extra effort on something they can achieve with a simple click; love the modern inventions that make life easier. They are contemporary and traditional at the same time. They appreciate their families and value the differences of opinions despite often being critical. They know their goals and try to reach them creatively. They make mistakes, but they aren't hampered as much when it comes to thinking about why not to do things.
They are the leaders of tomorrow.
They are the leaders of tomorrow.
That is how I see our children – the high school graduates – thanks to my son, his friends, his school, my friends, their children, and their schools. And when a couple of weeks ago I was invited for a pre-prom photo shoot, I accepted the job with confidence and assurance that I could successfully convey in the photographs all I love about our young people and their world. And when I gave the photos to them, my only wish was that whatever they do next, I hope they never stop learning, growing, exploring and challenging themselves to be their best and that they never give up all their independent thoughts and their dreams and their passions. I hope no hate, difficulties, and setbacks crush their wings and prevent them from taking the stand for the good of the whole. I believe in their courage to rise above the false sense (in adults) of superiority and entitlement as well as in their capability to "make for themselves, for their sake and for ours, extraordinary lives".
You can see more photos from the session on http://www.sylviasimplelife.com
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Thank you all for your continued support. I wish you a beautiful summer.
This is what photography is becoming to me: life.
ReplyDeleteI started out using it as a way to document the things I love, the places I've been, and even to "copy" the styles of others that move me. But after only a year of practice, I am learning (like with writing or teaching), that photography is a great tool to capture LIFE, that which moves, breathes, hopes, loves. You have done it well here Sylvia, you have written well on what these individuals are to you.
I am going into my fourth year of teaching at the secondary level. Many adults criticize and become frustrated with these teens and fail to realize they are still not fully developed intellectually, YET, they are at a point where they possess a freshness that is just right for them to be shaped into bright promise. These photos are magnificent, I am noticing everything from the diffused light to the perfection of the black and whites!
And I am finally going to take my first ever photography course. It's a basic course to help me learn my camera better and what the basic functions mean and how I can use them to improve my work. I hope to become a member of the Minneapolis Photo Center where I will be able to work and learn in a community of other artists, and use a facility that is well-appointed with a digital lab as well as a conventional lab, various studio bays and learning center!
I am in love with your work. I had been in love with the very WHITE photography that captures all white home décor, but my interests have deepened, and now I have come to realize that dark shadows play a very important role in capturing life as it really is, and not a bleached out version of it. Your work shows the truth of the moment, and I'm off to see your site and I know I will come out changed. MUCH LOVE TO YOU! Anita
Best Prom photographs ever!! Thank you for sharing them, and all they convey, with us, Leslie
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Sylvia! Lovely photoshoot!
ReplyDeleteMadelief