Sonia, 2022

Every year, I choose one picture that particularly resonates with me to send as a year-end print to friends and clients.

This year’s picture is from a hot day in July–Sonia’s 9th birthday. I like to make a picture of the girls on their birthdays, but life intervened this year. She rushed out the door to camp first thing in the morning, came home and then it was dinnertime, rolling her eyes at my attempts to wrangle her to sit for a static portrait. Typical. I was starting to resign myself to maybe not even making a picture this year. On top of that, it started to rain, diminishing my hopes for photographing outside. But it was a tiny storm, a single cloud, moving across the state. It dumped on us, and only us, for something like 20 minutes and then miraculously before the rain ended, the sun came out and it was truly magical.

Both Sonia and her big sister were immediately activated. They both ran out and were leaping and dancing in the road. Sonia ran down to a shaft of sunlight and caught rain drops on her tongue as steam rose from the hot asphalt. I ran the other direction, towards my camera, frantically returning to try to make a picture.

Afterward, I thought back to the dull ideas for pictures I had had before and how quickly things can change. I feel this picture is a fitting tribute to this wild soul. This is what it’s like having a 9 year old around. Never a dull moment. Reminding us that when you least expect it, the magic will come.

Raising a glass to more magic for us all in 2023.

Happy Holidays from all of us at Greg Miller Photography!