I fell in love with this image the instant I saw it, and it went straight into my top 10. There are many elements that make this capture so successful. From the choice of subject, sweet and captivating, to the aperture, wide enough to blur the unnecessary details in the background whilst keeping it recognisable, to the colour grading, rich and pleasing to the eye. But the thing that captivates me the most, that I almost can't tear my eyes away from, is the look in the subjects' eyes. The baby, cute as can be, exudes disarming innocence, and the mother exudes kindness, humbleness and gentleness. Capturing a technically successful portrait isn't easy, but capturing one that conveys so many emotions and touches the viewer's heart is a different feat altogether.
From the combination of simple/dark background and back light, that together enhance every little drop of water, to the thrilling dynamism of the children's poses, to the bare feet - all elements in this great capture exude 'childhood'. What I love the most about this shot is how it involves more senses than sight: I can hear the giggles and screeching, I can taste strawberry ice cream, I can feel the misty water on sun-warmed skin. What a skill to be able to take the viewer on such a magical journey.
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**This contest is open to photographers ranked 1001+ in this week’s <a href="https://www.photocrowd.com/photographer-community/">Leaderboard</a>.** Images that capture the essence of childhood range from loving studies of our own children and grandchildren, to more hard-hitting documentary style imagery that brings to light the varied and sometimes difficult lives that children might be experiencing.
This sweet and beautiful portrait struck me both for its technical quality and for the emotions it evokes. I like how the photographer chose to photograph the child as she peeked from behind the branch - it perfectly captures her shyness and curiosity, as mentioned in the image description. The branch helps tell the subject's story, and the image wouldn't be as successful without it. Technically speaking, the image is beautifully sharp (it made me scroll down to check what lens/camera it was shot with!), especially in contrast with the beautiful softness of the background, which was a clever choice indeed. Last but not least, the colour grading is pleasingly warm and with the right amount of contrast on the subject's face. A fantastic capture, well done!
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