I have taught a class called Information Technology Project Management at Oklahoma State University for the past four and a half years and it really is one of the standout parts of my job. While I do miss teaching high school, which I did in Minnesota for several years, I have really come to appreciate working at a university and also teaching college-age students. Many of them in my class are near graduation and they are getting ready to move away, start careers, or take a year off to just go see the world. It’s a fun opportunity to be able to teach them and each semester I cap off my class with a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies.
I always like to involve my kids in this process and usually make their consuming of said cookies contingent on their willingness to pitch in with the creation process. Normally I would just stand near them, hold my camera at eye level, and take a photo but this time I wanted to try something a bit different. I stood on a chair, held my Fuji X100F out at arm’s length, set the aperture to f/2.8, and fired off a few shots from directly above. I rather like the result even though I wasn’t entirely sure where to focus, and as such my son’s head on the left is a bit blurry but I do think it works to draw the viewer’s attention to the mixing bowl and other baking implements.
As I look back at photos of my kids that my wife and I have taken over the past seven years the ones that seem to have the most impact are the ones that also convey a sense of time, place, and activity. A headshot is great but if that headshot can be part of a larger story that’s even better, and I think that’s one reason I’m happy with this picture. I like that both boys are intently staring at the mixer, I like that there’s a bit of a mess on the counter, and I like that it clearly tells a story of something that’s happening. Plus I like that it involves homemade chocolate chip cookies :)
Susan Ringsmuth says
Wonderful Simon! I would have enjoyed receiving cookies at the end of a college class and I think that involving the boys is a great idea.
Simon says
Thanks Mom! It’s fun to do stuff like this for my students, especially if I can involve the kids in it too :)
Rebecca says
Wonderful photo Simon. Even though I cannot see their faces, I can tell they are happy kids. Kudos to you for involving them in your love of teaching.
On a technical note, I like that the child on the left is a bit out of focus. This makes my eye search for the in focus head, leading me to the mixing bowl. Your leading lines are a bit soft and well combed, but very effective.
Simon says
Thanks Rebecca, I’m glad you like the photo even with the slightly strange focus. I didn’t think about my son’s head being out of focus until it was too late, but I do think it works OK. This was definitely not an image where I paid attention to a lot of technical details!
Tom J Frye says
Awesome picture!! Reminds me of making cookies with my mom and my aunt and getting to lick the beaters!!
Simon says
Oh yeah, licking off the beaters is definitely the best part about making cookies! Though when I was a kid it sometimes involved a fight over who got the one with more batter on it…
Jill McKechnie says
Great picture, and I agree. My favorite picture of my boys is at my parent’s house, in the summer, when they’d just finished sliding down a slip and slide. It’s a great memory of such a fun time, and I love it@
Simon says
What a fun memory, Jill. I’m glad this little slice of my own kids’ life helped you remember a special time in your boys’ lives as well.