Kids at Play – Why I Love this Picture
To me, this photograph represents the freedom of early childhood and that is why I love it. I took it on a camping trip in Ventura, California, organized by my son’s nursery school. As each family arrived and set up their tents, the kids found each other and began to explore. Right behind our camp site was a group of trees that had long sections that had grown almost parallel to the ground. The kids immediately began climbing on them.
My son recently started Kindergarten and he said to me the other day, “at my old school, I decided what I would do, and now my teacher decides what I do.” It wasn’t a complaint, just an observation. This picture both makes me miss his old school, which I loved dearly, and reminds me that opportunities for free play, especially in nature, only become more necessary as school becomes increasingly structured and rigorous.
I love the colors, the lines, the golden California afternoon sunlight, but most of all I love the kids relaxing into the freedom of being outdoors and doing exactly what they want to do.
Technical Details:
Camera: Canon 6D
Lens: Canon 24-70mm 2.8 II
ISO: 640
Exposure: 1/2000 of a second at f/2.8
* I want to credit Kevin Mullins Photography for the idea of “Why I Love this Picture” blog posts. It’s just too good of an idea not to steal. Check out his work for absolutely gorgeous examples of documentary wedding photography.
Interested in capturing your own family’s honest, unposed moments? Let’s talk about it!
