I have told this story before, but things get repeated for different reasons. I took a photo of the kids on August 18th, 2007. I was working at Staples Corporate office at the time, Barbara was on a work trip. Staples had announced an offer to all office associates that the next day they would be setting up a Digital print lab in the cafeteria and we could have files printed for free. I figured I would get a fun portrait of the kids, blow it up and surprise Barbara upon her return from the trip. Outside we go, putting a horrible old black backdrop on the fence, using a Nikon D80 with kit lens and piece of white cardboard as a reflector. I put Danny, age 6, on a step stool so he could be the same height as his older sister, age 8. Now Dan was a loud kid, he is now a loud teen and I am betting he will be a loud adult. This will all pay off with his music I am sure. Then Anna was quiet, so quiet and shy, so the pose was Danny screaming and Anna shushing him, the photo was called Peace and Boy.

I printed it, it caused a huge stir at the office. This was before the dailypic, this was at the end of what was a horrible few years where I did not take photos. Barbara loved the photo, coworkers loved the photo, it took on a life of its own. Remember we were not saturated with photos all over the place in 2007 the way we are now, it was not hard to impress. It was great, I was booking family/kid portraits based off that photo. I made my first business cards, that photo was on it, and so was the newly named “timricephoto”. I look at that photo as my entry back into photography (I had taken a break – that is another story).

Here we are, 10 years, 13 days from that original shot. Instead of those two little kids, I have two incredible young adults living in my house, well for the time being. The loud little “Boy” is now 6’1″, 16 years old and loud in so many great ways. He has a genuine smile and presence that lights the world. Then there is “Peace”, she is no longer quiet, the shush sign is now a peace sign, meaningful for many reasons and she is just shy of 19 years old. Hours away from leaving home for college, and changing not only her world, but all of our world for the better. I thought it would be fun to revisit this shoot before the next variation of the family kicks in, and I was lucky enough to have them agree. How much changes in 10 years. I sent a group text to my kids saying meet me at the studio at 5pm. One drove themselves, one was dropped off by a girlfriend, this time the only stool that was used was so Dan could sit and be shorter for his sister. I have a far different camera, professional lights, backdrops and a studio space…. all that can be tied back to that one photo in the back yard. My business is not what is without them, I am not who I am without these kids, in so many ways, and I would not change any of it.

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Guest photographer Anna, age 18, Senior in High School, first time voter. In the noise of what is to me, a horrible election cycle, I forgot the excitement of the process. I love politics, an almost history major myself, I know more about them than I admit publicly. I love(d) voting, it is not a perfect system, I love that I still use a pen to do it, I love election day, there is a connection to history each time you vote, you see those you may not have seen in awhile. November 3rd, 1992 I walked into the then High School in Medway, the same High School I graduated from a year prior and voted in my first election. I voted for Ross Perot, it made sense to me at the time. I even knew he would not win, but I wanted my decision to matter to me. Every election since them I have used the same logic – it was hard to do that today.

I dreaded today, looking at some of the people in line with me this morning, I was not alone. Except for Anna, she and I arrived at that same school together at 6:40am to stand in our place in line until 7. She was glowing among the many beaten , tired others, myself being one of them. She was talkative, curious, genuinely excited… I was jealous of her. I was better being next to her. I was proud of her. She has studied all the questions, all the candidates, she was ready and happy to serve. Trump and Clinton will go, just as those before did. The machine will spin on, and I know Anna will never miss an election. I expect one day her name could even be on a ballot, and what is happening now will shape her into the person she will be, and we all will be better off for it. I need to stop and learn more from my kids more often. Today was not a chore, it was a privilege.

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