November 27, 2005
-
Rocklin Family
On Friday, I was invited to Dick and Vonda Rocklin’s home in Albert Lea. Their daughter-in-law, Holly, contacted me about coming over and doing some portraits of the kids. The Rocklin’s have three children and between them, they’ve given Dick and Vonda five beautiful grandkids.
First I met Aaron, Holly and Aaron’s first child. He is in the red sweater. He was the cutest little guy. He was ready for me to come and take his pictures and said “Hi Wobin”. Melted my heart!
Jacob, Michelle and their big brother who plays hockey, are siblings. What a beautiful group of kids they are. I recognized Michelle and asked her how I might know her. She attended kindergarten with Isaac at Saint Theodore’s. She is absolutely stunning. She loved the camera and was very at ease having me take her pictures. She should model. That gorgeous reddish hair!
Then there is Lauren. She is in the image on the bottom left. She is the first child to her parents. Lauren has such a beautiful face. Her features are so cute! She was pretty much not in the mood for pictures, so I tried to be invisible and capture what I could. I think I got some great shots of her!
Dick and Vonda were great hosts. I was told Dick was the boss, but if I had to guess, I would say Vonda has him wrapped around her finger, making her the boss. It was the first time I had met them, but that is my perception. Vonda is a very warm and welcoming person. She understands the importance of family and having relationships displayed in pictures. She expressed that she was very happy I came to their home and allowed the kids to be in their family’s home environment.
I spent many years in a portrait studio. Several years ago, I would be found shooting a session every half an hour. I remember the days of having people coming in and trying to get them to relax, then using one of the few backgrounds I used on everyone else. To me, I am so much happier going to people’s homes. They are more relaxed and I am able to capture them in their natural surroundings.
Thank you Rocklins for making me feel so comfortable in your home. I knew immediately, I could kick off my shoes, crawl on the floor and have free reign in your home. You were the perfect subjects!
