How do you get the animals to add a little interest to the image? Put a couple of kids in front of them.
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| Children, Turkeys, and Geese - A Pastoral Portrait by DG Hudson |
The image above was taken with a SLR camera before the digital age, when visiting relatives who live in the country. There are a lot of details in this photo. Note the bandage on the chin of the child in the pink T-shirt. She fell while riding her bike that morning. That tells us she is no frail little girl, but an active child and likely has brothers who she tries to imitate in their activities. (In reality, she has several brothers and is the youngest in her family). The child in front is a cousin of hers and is under two years old. Judging by her expression, she appears not to care whether she's in a photo or not.
As for the animals, they demand attention: the white geese are squawking - where's the food, the baby turkeys are curious - what's going on. Don't miss the little baby turkey looking around the girl in pink on the left side. I didn't even notice the antics of the various fowl in the image when I took this photograph, as I was concentrating on the two girls. It was the first time I had seen little baby turkeys. They don't look so edible at that age and size.
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Capturing History and Style
A historical photo can also show important details. This image was taken circa late 1880s or early 1890s. This young woman is of Canadian First Nations culture and is a relative of our family on my husband's side.
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| Woman, First Nations Culture, BC, Canada, prop. DG Hudson |
The young woman in the image above lived in a simple time, in the country away from the Big City. She is dressed as suits the interior western culture and her time. She wears a Canadian maple leaf pin with pride on her scarf. Taking a photographic image during those times was a big event and having a portrait done meant you wore your best or neatest clothes. Ceremonial clothes would have been saved for band (tribe) events. These are practical, durable, no fuss clothes. The plain rough wood background accentuates the portrait.
The no-nonsense hair style shows a no-nonsense woman who could out-fish most of the men, and lived to be the ripe old age of 96 or so, still sharp in mind. It is said that she sang to the fish, calling them. Birth records were sketchy during the late 1800s and in smaller towns and on native reserves were kept at the local church. She married a First Nations man who came to the Nicola Valley in British Columbia, a man who led the First Nations posse of four men who tracked and captured Bill Miner, a disreputable outlaw and the first train robber of Canada.
