Claire playing the loving mother to her baby doll in front of Grandma & Grandpa Hyder's house.

I’m proud to present one of my favorite photos of my daughter; Strolling Momma Claire, as the latest entry into the Image of the Week series.

As Claire has grown from an infant to a toddler and on to a young girl it has become more difficult for me capture portraits of her. In talking with other photographers it seems to be a common theme, our own kids either ham it up with unnatural smiles or refuse to sit for us. Most of my best images of her are candids or are captured after enough time has passed with me shooting her that she tends to forget she is a subject. That was the key for this image; after being the ham for the early part of her play session she began to relax and forget that I had my camera. As the golden hour provided wonderful side light Claire strolled past and I captured the image. It is not truly a portrait, more of a planned out snapshot, but it captures the essence of my little lady.

This photo has special family meeting as Grandpa Robin passed away this winter and Grandma Phyllis is moving out of the home this week.

Technical Specs:

• Raw image with Nikon D300 @ 200 ISO
• Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S ED VR @ 170mm
• 1/250 of a second @ ƒ/5.6
• Wednesday, August 5, 2009 @ 19:56
• Grandma & Grandpa Hyders’, Portland, Oregon, USA