Father and Daughter

A client of my photography practice is a landscaping company here in Maryland and I have been lucky and honored to work for them a few times over the years. A much anticipated yearly event is a company picnic which brings together close to 300 workers and their families to the company’s facility in Southern Maryland. This is a large parcel of land, among several others in the area, that doubles as plant nursery and recreation center for the workers; it has a pavilion nested among the trees and a soccer pitch that a professional soccer league would envy.  Many of their workers are from Mexico and other countries from Hispano-America where soccer is not only a sport but a passion and the company obligues. My job as a photographer was to document the event, and as such, I went around taking pictures of the attendees, both candid and posed, as well as getting some shots of the soccer tournament that is part of the event. As I was wandering around the pavilion I came upon a father with a very young daughter in his arm and she was caressing her father’s face, oblivious to whatever was happening around them. I managed to get two shots before they noticed my presence and then, sadly, the magic was gone. I did not think much of the pictures but when I came home and processed the day’s haul of pictures, I was mesmerized by the look in her face and the bliss in the face of the father; the contrast between her soft, baby skin and his, weathered by working under the sun day in and day out; and I could hear again the little girl’s voice as she was saying sweet things to her father as she was caressing his face. Priceless. Making Smiles into Memories http://www.austral-lights-photography.com