One of my earliest and most favorite activities as a child was going through my aunt's box of pictures and pressing the adults for more information about the people in the pictures. I wasn't looking for a great landscape or a beautiful sunset. I was looking for those clues to my past and who I was. It was the people in the pictures experiencing the moment that drew me in. Yes ... "people pictures" as my wife so often told me I should be taking.



As I began working on a book on my family history, I fully realized the importance of family photos to future generations. I discovered that everyday life is what needed to be reflected in my photos. Sure, I still love a beautiful landscape or a glowing sunset, but how much more it is enhanced by the presence of a family member who may be simply enjoying the moment, or who may be participating in some activity that further defines the time and place.



And so it came to be that I developed a new love in photography. I am called upon from time to time to take a portrait of some or all of the family. And that is fine. What I truly enjoy, however, is capturing the family members being themselves in whatever time or place we happen to be. I mostly try to capture candid shots of them. I think by now they have all gotten used to the ever-present camera. Camera shyness is no longer an issue.



So, here are 723 photos from family moments in 2009.