This was an image shot for my dear friend Paul Sevensky (who has just signed on as my first staff writer at my other site, The Roving Photographer). The gentleman in the portrait is Paul’s grandfather as a young man, and his resemblance to Paul has always been very strong. Which is something we wanted to celebrate.

A reflection portrait is unusual – from a photographer’s point of view, I’m normally battling reflections, trying to keep them out of my images. So the chance to create one intentionally, and emphasize it, was an interesting challenge. We shot this image in a studio setting, setup in Paul’s living room (Unexpected Photographer’s Skill #3: expertise in furniture relocation). It took a few test shots, a few reorganizations of my setup, but we finally got the photo we wanted.

I have strong family ties, so it makes me happy to take on projects like this one; I like to see family history and connections perpetuated across generations. And I like knowing that I’ve had a hand in it.

{Click for larger view!}

Happy 50th Wedding Anniversary to Anne and Joe Boyle!  I’m so happy that I was able to join the family and help you celebrate such a milestone.  Here’s to another 50 years!