Thursday, September 3, 2015

Seldom

This picture might be one of my summer favorites. No, I'm not that self-absorbed... As a rule, I don't like being photographed. I feel like a gawky-gangly thing. Awkward.

The picture isn't particularly flattering, but he's in it. And that never happens. Never. I prefer the business side of the camera, but what about him? Well, he prefers anything that is outside of the scene I'm framing up. Anything.

But the icing on the cake is that he's got an almost-smile on his face. You know the one... the kind where an almost-teenager is having an almost-good time... and almost doesn't want anyone to know it. Almost.

This never happens; the stars must have been aligned.

I would be happier with this photo if it were cropped differently... you see, the parts of it that I like best aren't the focal points. I love Gavin's face and remembering the way he looks in the middle of the summer... that's when the white pigmented spot on his left cheek shows itself. It's how I know he has a proper summer glow.

I love the way he's not just sitting next to me, but leaning on me. I love that even if he can't always tell me that he needs me, his body language does the talking for him.

And I love the hand on his shoulder. I'm such a fan of hands... hands have this ability to tell the best parts of their owner's stories... and mine is trying to tell you how much I love this boy and that even though I want to hold onto him forever and ever, I cannot. My hand can linger on his shoulder to help guide and direct and comfort... but my time for holding seems to have passed.

This seldom happens, but I wish it would again.

Benett actually captured this moment. He was so excited to do so, and despite the weight of the camera and being on a swaying boat, he did what is rarely possible on dry land in ideal conditions. He managed to eek a smile out of an almost-teenager and get his mom to forget how much she hates being photographed.

And that is a rare thing indeed.

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