I began photographing the third "Forever Family" this past weekend. This family is made up of five biological children (three of which are older and live away from home) and two adopted boys from the Philippines. The four younger children who live at home are all home schooled. The love and concern this family has for each other, and particularly the adopted boys, was so very evident! Since they're all home schooled, the father built a little "classroom" in the basement where each kid has their own desk area where they can study and learn.
While talking with the parents, I started to realize the importance of photographs of the children prior to their adoption. The mom was able to track down photographs of the boys' biological parents and images of them as babies. It seems that these images play a big part in the construction of the their identities. I'm happy to be able to provide a new "visual record" of their family and I'm already excited about my second visit!
I am so excited about my current portraiture project! I'm photographing families who have adopted older children from other countries after participating in the Summer of Hope program (www.summerofhope.org). The program gives kids (ages 8-15) who are living in orphanges around the world the opportunity to spend four weeks in the home of an American family. The program aims to give these kids an experience of loving home life and ultimately a hope for the future. Many of the families who act as host homes during the Summer of Hope program end up adopting the kids that stay with them, or help to connect them with other families who are interested in adopting. I've come to understand that adopting older kids can be very trying, but also very rewarding. A unique situation is created when an older kid is adopted from another country.
I have had so much fun getting to know the two families I have photographed so far. The second family's photo shows how the baby was stealing the show! Everyone had so much fun trying to get him to look at the camera and to smile. However, I think this image tells a lot about the family's collective personality (fun!).
I tend to be the kind of person who is turned off by doing what everyone else is doing just for the sake of following. So what am I doing here? Am I so bold as to assume that others would care about my thoughts and ramblings? I view this dive into the blogosphere as an opportunity for those who are interested in my photography get to know me better. Perhaps you can follow my thought processes through projects, experiments, or even frustrations as I passionately pursue photography.If you've found your way to this blog...welcome. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you will find something encouraging, inspiring, or even funny!
-Leslie
I had the opportunity to photograph the Osen family again today...or part of them I should say! In addition to their two biological and two adopted children living at home, they also have three older children who are living away from home. The only daughter living at home had this to say when asked what encouragement she would give to other biological kids whose parents are going to adopt: "It doesn't mean they don't love you. They may get more attention at first, but it doesn't mean your parents don't love you. It's just that they (the adopted kids) are new people, so they're going to need more attention." Brilliant. She's a wise young lady.
