YOU MUSTA BEEN A
BEAUTIFUL BABY
14 April 2003
 I love digital cameras.
I love zoom lenses.
I love digital cameras with zoom lenses.
As a lifelong photographer who craves instant gratification, was
there ever a better combination?
One of the things I love photographing most of all is babies. Any
age, but especially around 6 months to 2 years. They have those big eyes, that clear skin,
and with a zoom lens, you can catch them unaware (if you're quick and lucky enough).
(I loved this kid's eyes, by the way. I don't have a clue who he is, but
every picture I took of him looked like this--those huge, shinining eyes.)
So today was a dream for me. We went to the first birthday party of
our Malaysian son Vince's twins, Alyssa and Colin. We last saw the twins when they were
about a month old, so needless to say they've grown a lot since then.
It was the perfect kind of party for me. I knew almost nobody there,
so nobody expected me to make small talk, and there were several babies, none of whom I
knew (that included the guests of honor!). So I was free to just find myself a corner or
two or three and just aim the camera and shoot. I had a great time.
 The parents stood
around drinking wine and eating pizza while the kids had a bunch of activities to
do. This little girl, for example, had a good time with play doh. It's great
when you find kids engaged in creative play, when they're unaware that you're around--and
with a 10X zoom, it's easy to be far enough away that you can get a shot like this without
the child being aware that you're even there.
 We did have the chance
to visit with a couple of people we know. Among them were Vince's parents, who are
now retired and who came here from Malaysia several months ago so they could spend time
with their grandchildren while they were still babies. They'll be here another
couple of months and we hope to see them again. (They've also invited us to come and
visit Malaysia when/if Walt retires.)
Vince's father, a civil engineer who got his PhD here in Davis, gave
us an interesting history of Singapore politics and just how the city runs--talking about
how the form of government will help in eradicating SARS before I fly off to Australia
(and spend 8 hrs in the Singapore airport!). That was reassuring. (Did you
know gum chewing was against the law in Singapore?)
We weren't able to stay long enough to watch the twins enjoy their
birthday cake--another wonderful photo op--because I had to go to review a show. But
it was good to see the twins again, to have a brief visit with Vince and his parents, and
to get the chance to put the camera to good use. Again. |
