A deeply spiritual and moral young man, Jason's life has evolved from several extremes as he's matured into a college graduate and full-time dad. His exemplary care for his firstborn, Milique, was something I marveled at during Jason's senior year, when he was working at the Urban League, active in his church, a full-time student, and yet, more often than not, had Milique hanging onto his jacket. Jason aggressively pursues, initiates, and closely monitors his son's progress and personally sees to his welfare and needs, all the while managing to keep a half dozen other plates spinning. He is an easy man to admire and an easy subject for the camera.

This shot, taken for Jason's 2000 Kwanzaa greeting card, was shot in Memorial Park in Colorado Springs in the early afternoon. We barely made it to the park before dusk, and I stood on a picnic table and shot close-in angles which I intended to matte into the full figures (see slide show). The afternoon sun lent the reddish hues and gave the composition a familial warmth and deep blacks in Jason's hair and jacket that provide real definition. I've composited the shots into a slide show created for an Urban League website demo.

In this particular shot, Milique is getting a bit fussy and insists on looking at me even when dad has told him repeatedly not to. The sudden awareness, the consciousness of self, displayed here gives the impression of a maturity far beyond the boy's five (yes, five) years. In this composition, Jason's hands on his son's shoulders present the father as the protector of the son, but the look in Milique's eyes tell us the son is equally the guardian of the father.

This was one of those lucky moments when you just fall into something. Milique is a natural model, with a wide range of expression and body language that makes him a joy to photograph. He looks 12 but he's only about half that age. A big boy bursting with enthusiasm and fearless. And blessed with an exemplary father figure he's willing to protect at all costs.

Christopher J. Priest
May 2002