Photo Exploration: Theo on Stairs (Gratitude)
If you have a child, or know someone with a child, you’ve got a ready-at-all-times photography subject. They move in unique ways, their perspective on everything is often quite enlightening, their expressions and emotions are far more uninhibited than when we get older. And they never seem to do the same thing for very long so there is always something new to photograph.
This photo was taken just a couple of months before Theo turned two. It had been a pleasant afternoon strolling around the Biltmore Estate gardens but Theo was ready to climb some stairs on his own. Stairs are tricky things, especially for those in their first year of walking upright. As walking is basically controlled falling, the idea that in order to climb (or descend) stairs one must fall up or down onto a different horizontal must be quite an adjustment. It makes for some wonderful story-telling — this new conquering of landscape. An acquisition of a skill that will probably never leave.
Photography helps me remember moments. My days seem to be so full that I can get confused on remembering if something was a couple of days or a couple of weeks ago. But with photographs, especially if I am disciplined in recording when a photo was taken, I can go back and have perspective on some past moments. It helps keep my memory linearly intact. And while there is something to be said for having a general jumble of feelings, I do like to have my own timeline at least somewhat organized.
This Thanksgiving holiday I am grateful for the ability to watch and engage with Theo’s life as he grows. It does sometimes seem to happen in the blink of an eye, but with photography at least I can capture it in 1/60th second bursts.