Madison

I should have been dealing with insurance, taxes and payroll, the less glamorous side of owning your own portrait business.  Blah!!  It was too beautiful out to spend the day doing such mundane things!    The snow was falling and  just when we all thought snow was done for the year.   I couldn’t let this day pass without preserving just a little bit of magic from the day.

I thought, ‘I sure would love to photograph a dancer in this snow today.’  I had tentative plans with a past senior client mom to shoot her older daughter dancing in the snow, but not exactly something that can be scheduled, so what are the odds it would work out?  I tried and the daughter was in North Carolina. 🙁    We’d have to try again next year!   

I decided to open up the offer on my new FB business page.  “Are there any fly by the seat of their pants dancers out there whose mom would be willing to drive them to my studio, in the snow, for a shoot?  The session time is complimentary, you purchase product of your snow dancing.”  What are the odds this would work out for anyone, oh and in about an hour!?  

I was hoping there might be one dancer out there who’d be interested and able…uh, there were 5! And rather than limit it to first responder, I decided to photograph them all. (My husband likes to say that the part of my brain that sets reasonable limits on things is busted; he’s right! I like to tell him 95% of the time it’s to his advantage!) I knew my assistant wouldn’t be able to drive in while it was snowing, so big shout out to my gaffer for the afternoon, my son William!

In life, God is always weaving your story into countless others.  Sometimes we see how He does so but more often than not, much of that is behind the scenes.  Well, the night before this session, the Beakes family was coming home from a dance competition.  Madison mentioned to her mom Heather that she would love to do a dance photo shoot.  She wanted to be able to look back on images of herself that give full expression to the enormous commitment she and her family have made to her dance.  She wanted to have these moments preserved so when her body no longer cooperates she will always remember what once was. 

Heather already had her wheels spinning on Mother Daughter Couture portraits in the fall.  She told Madison maybe dance could be incorporated into that or maybe in the future sometime she could have a session devoted fully to dance.   Then the following morning my post appeared and Nicole Hunsicker tagged Heather in the post with a “Heather, what are you and the girls doing today?”  Heather credits Nicole with helping to make Madison’s dream come true.    God’s timing is just an uncanny thing!

Frequently during a session I see stories unfolding in the interaction between clients or in this case, the dancer’s movements.   Here I was imagining a scene from a drama, like Macbeth, where Madison was being pulled by something on the other end of the tulle….can’t you just see it….long graceful arms on the other end pulling her along…

Madison was such a trooper!  The snow was coming down hard at times during her session and she gracefully continued every leap and whirl in my snowy field.  Hardly a typical dance surface, but that didn’t stop her one bit!  Never one complaint uttered.   It’s very clear that Madison’s commitment to dance is something she takes very seriously.  Her technique was clear evidence to the hard work and the 5 days a week dance classes she currently attends.   

As you can probably tell, I had a blast working with Madison!   I thoroughly enjoyed creating art for Madison and Heather to commemorate the incredible amount of devotion that has been required to dance so beautifully.   Heather has plans to turn their spare bedroom into a dance room for the girls and now these images and more from the day will line those walls!  Look for these girls again in the fall in what is certain to be a spectacular  Mother Daughter Couture experience!    Little sister Caroline has already begun sketching ideas and I have one that’s bursting inside of me to move from concept to reality!

I can’t wait to see what the future holds for your dance Madison!  I wish you all the best as you continue to create such sweeping beauty in your movement!