Webs of Magic at Childhood's Gate

I awoke to one of the most fantastic misty mornings I can ever remember. The mist was thick and full of life. It moved sinuously across the landscape. It helped us understand that all of the night's spider webs were actually found art, constructed of impossibly intricate designs. Scattering a dewdrop here, a dewdrop there, the mist turned everything it touched into magic.

As I mentioned in an earlier blip, I've undertaken my first commercial photography project. I have a photo shoot scheduled for Thursday morning with two groups of children at Childhood's Gate, and I've been coordinating the details with Didier (the company that created our beautiful children's garden), with the Arboretum staff including the director of children's programming, and with the news and public relations office at Penn State.

These things can get more complicated than one expects. There was a form I needed to sign to be approved to take commercial photos on Penn State property, and the parents of the children who will appear in the pictures will need to sign release forms. Yes, we're doing things by the book. I think we have the details nailed down so that all I need to do now is show up and take the pictures!

I've been a frequent visitor to Childhood's Gate ever since it opened, and so I am very familiar with the grounds, the light, the seasonal changes and displays, and points of interest. Since formally agreeing to undertake the photo project in mid-August, I've been back numerous times, setting up my shots. The client has indicated that what is desired is "magic" and "wonder," and while I've not done commercial photo shoots before, magic and wonder happen to be just my game.

I've experienced moments of self-doubt since agreeing to do the project. In fact, I've awakened in a cold sweat at 3 or 4 in the morning a couple of times, thinking, "WHAT EVER POSSESSED ME???? What ever made me think I could be a children's photographer? Why why why???" But of course, I've been excited, too.

More recently, I've been learning more of the details of the event. The children (3- and 5-yr-olds) will be visiting the gardens to parade around and celebrate the first day of autumn. Numerous activities are planned. And guess what . . . it sounds like an absolute bucket of fun! Fortunately for me, the weather is to be perfect. I'm ready now; let's get this show on the road!

So on this morning, one last time before the event, I went through the  children's garden, setting up my shots. I have probably two dozen shots in mind, specifically framed, down to angles and where I should stand to take them. All I have to do now is stay cool, be mindful of the light, and hit all of my markers.

A thing I have been thinking about a lot is how to see (and show) the gardens as a child would experience them. That is the magic they are looking for. I get down low (it helps that at 5'2", I'm already pretty low to start with) and try to imagine seeing all of this splendor for the first time, through the eyes of a child.

The photo above is a view of the transformational canopy over the entrance to Childhood's Gate, as viewed from inside the garden, through one of this morning's fantastic misty webs. This doorway is where we enter the children's garden. This is where the magic begins.

The soundtrack: Moody Blues, Eyes of a Child. (Sound is a bit low, but the images are gorgeous; so turn it up.)