This story is about the transformative powers of kindness.  Kindness is love made visible.

This shoot of a Maui family was totally a new experience for me.  It was part of the Yan fam way workshop and we had specific goals in mind.

First, this was a documentary shoot.. meaning we walked into their home and shot what we saw with no posing or directing.  That was really hard for me because I usually direct sort of alot.  I like to observe people and pick their natural movements and gestures and have them repeat those for my camera.  Shooting without giving direction was frustrating in part but also freeing in part.  It also helped me understand my usual process better and the reasons for it so I can continue evolving it in the future.

Second, we each had to have one single specific aim in mind — mine was to focus on Mom/wife.  There where so many parts of this family’s story that could be told.  They have four children (two of whom are austistic), a yard full of animals, a marriage, a company, and just a whole lot going on.  Choosing to focus solely on the Mom helped me photograph the story I wanted to tell (which I didn’t know going in) but over the course of our time there surfaced.

That story is about the transformative powers of kindness.  That is what stuck with me after spending time with them and watching how Mom interacts with each child, with her husband, and with the people in her life.