Reuniting and it Felt so Good
Do you remember that little sliver of heaven? It felt like when the sun breaks through clouds and you see distinct rays of light pour through from above. Right around March and April, through mid-June. We all felt it. That little sliver of heaven when we were getting vaccinated, masks were coming off, plans were being made.
Of course now that feels like waking up from a good dream, and wishing you could go back to sleep for just 5 more minutes. How sweet, and cautiously optimistic we all were.
It was at that point when I put out a call for help with a personal project I wanted to do. I wanted to document families as they began reuniting. After more than a year of separation from elderly family members, or other people we love but who live far away, I wanted to showcase the ways that we were getting back together.
Kassia was the first person to jump on my offer. Her extended family members were coming from the west coast, had never met her son in person, and hadn’t seen her daughter since the little girl started talking. It was a reunion to be remembered, and I was thrilled to be able to document it.
Babies and toddlers need some warming up with people they haven’t seen (ever), even in the best of times. Throw in some pandemic isolation and little kids are especially wary of people.
It didn’t take long for the kids to warm up to their grandparents, and they started playing together in the morning sunlight.
We managed to get a Three Generations photo with the fellas before I left, and a big group family photo, including the chaos that ensues when you try to take a group photo with two toddlers (boy I know it). Kassia, thank you for allowing me to come photograph and document your family’s first moments together this spring. It was a real joy to be able to witness and grab these moments in time for you to remember down the road.
I’m still offering these front yard reunion sessions for free, as my personal project continues to develop (pun intended). If you’re still waiting to reunite with family that you haven’t seen due to COVID, shoot me an email at allison@allisonpatelphoto.com and let’s chat.
