Growing Pain - Not !

When I think back on bringing our daughter up during those early teen years, I’ve got to admit it’s hard not to remember the worst of the raging hormones… the defiance of parental authority, the costly phone abuse (it actually requested psychological compensation!), the temper tantrums, the iron shaped burn marks (notice plural) on our bedroom carpet… I know most of you have been there and hopefully back without lasting damage.

But every time I see this picture it all melts away. Cause there were moments like this one more often than my memory alone will allow. The fading scars from when she cuddled a stray cat she found in the back yard before she knew better… the crazy hairdo that hinted to her sense of style that so loved my camera over the years… those amazing deep blue eyes she inherited from her mom… and that infinitely complex expression that couldn’t decide whether to love me back or smack my face. It all makes me realize that it’s all about dynamic. It’s the thrilling highs and the desperate lows that generate the love. Like it or not.

She’s now happily married to an amazing guy. She embraces family values with all her heart… and she's doing a fabulous job of raising 4 kids of her own.
So something beautiful must have been brewing even during the worst of times.
Thank God I had a camera :-)

Canon EOS 100 + EF 100 mm fixed focal on Fuji Reala 100 ISO color print film.

One Elinchrom 250 Watt studio flash with 60 x 60 cm softbox. No post processing.