The problem with kissing dogs

You think you'll kiss a dog - but its a bad idea - tickles the hell out of your nose - so it's much better to use a dog to scratch your head.

Catching up on Evan

Taking portraits of Evan is much trickier than Aiden. The one above, which I really like, took a lot more work than it looks. He's super-active, super-naughty, and really not interested in posing for cameras. (This is why you'll notive some skid marks on his nose in all of these - courtesy of a crash landing at soccer-tots.) As a result, it's easy to end up with a dearth of photos of Ev and a bundle of his pro-posing brother. This weekend I set out to set that right. The sequence below shows a typical response: Evan in his natural, hyper-mobile (and increasingly vocal state), then Evan realising that there's an opportunity for naughtiness in what you're asking him to do - and then Rich wising up; hand over Murphy - his much loved dog, and then get the sort of photo you're looking for - though of course in this instance he's not looking at the camera.

This morning we went to the Sai Kung football pitch because I had to do some photos with Jens for the Stingrays Rugby team. The pitch is a grass one - very rare for Hong Kong - and has a tartan athletics track around it, and trees and grass around that. Your brothers are keen on all this, especially because there are balls involved. Ev's quite independent, "broms" around, kicks his ball, takes a break by sitting down in the shade and cheking out the action. Increasingly they have a relationship that isn't only about fighting, which is nice, and I think Aiden has started to enjoy having him around.

Dance Dance Revolution 2

It's a fat three weeks since I posted - indicative of a work spike I'm afraid - in fact I haven't had the camera out at all for two weeks, which must be the longest break in about five years. So today...freedom, though not from grey skies and drizzling rain, boys inside, CABIN FEVER!!! Ange and Evan went to Park 'n Shop, which is Hong Kong's Pick 'n Pay - how format similar but concept different, and I remembered that Jens had a new X-box 360 game that he was trying out called Dance Dance Revolution 2 - and I gave him a call to ask whether Aiden could come and give it a test drive. The pic above in Jens and Camilla's flat explains it all really - there is a mat on the ground which is wired to the X-box, super-psychedelic backgrounds flash while the disco beat pounds and the androgyn (you'll have to look that up) figure on the screen leads the way. The player starts in the middle, Aiden in this case, Rich and Jens on the couch, wide angle lens, off camera flash, little Freija watching. The pics below are the game in play, Aiden getting into it and finding love, groovy colours and angles I thought, but you'll have to imagine the rest. Click on the small ones to see the full size, the one on the left is super-nice, hair on fire, and the picture on the left of Jens and Freija reflecting Aiden's face from the front - all accident of course, but photgraphy is full of lucky gifts like this, one day I hope to be good enough to plan them. So good to hear your voice today, just love you to bits.

Sundays twisting in Po Lam

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOVELY JOSHUA

Spiderman photo

Aiden is very photogenic. I took this pic of him at his friend Garry's party; it was a Spiderman party, but only Aiden and Garry seemed to take this seriously. So there were two spidermen. Half way through a clown who juggled and did tricks arrived. The clown's magic stick had an unmagic moment and landed on Aiden's head; he wept. Later on Evan managed to break a big vase in the house. The McGillivray's left somewhat bashful. So good to talk to you today. You're so grown up, it catches me each time.

Hope your first day of highschool was OK

I was thinking about you yesterday and wondering how the day was going - I hope it was lovely.

Ms Allie Free and Chair - another daylight flash

This is Allie Free, my friend Brett's daughter in a daylight flash portrait - I really like it.