On Freedom

Freedom is a word that has come up a lot in the last week.  As we gear up to celebrate our country’s birthday, we have gratitude for the freedoms we have in this nation. They feel meaningful, important and unifying.

In the last week, thoughts about freedom have felt even more significant in celebrating the United States Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage. Over the years I periodically have participated in gay pride celebrations, but this year I decided that it was important to bring my son to the Gay Pride parade in New York City.

I knew it would be fun, a big party, flamboyant and joyous. What I did not expect was the flood of emotions I would feel to be there. Every cheer felt soulful, every moment of applause extra vibrant. I wept and cheered and wept some more. And my son was in it with me. He laughed and we danced and he cheered and was fully present in the celebration.

When I think about the fact that gay marriage will be legal for his generation and generations after that, without question - I feel overwhelmed with joy. It is incredible to think of a future where everyone can have whatever type of family they choose. This is the definition of freedom to me. We have so much to celebrate today and every day.

What does freedom mean to you? How do you celebrate it? How do you document that celebration?

Celebrating Father’s Day - and My Dad

I love any excuse to celebrate, especially one that honors our family. As far as fathers go, I hit the jackpot. And, to be honest I have struggled to write this because it is difficult to express how much my father means to me (and my son) within the limitations of a single blog post.

One of my favorite pictures ever - my father with his mother, Rose and my son

My father, Steve, is the perfect combination of attributes that make any parent an ideal one. He is quiet and strong, yet filled with enthusiasm. He is a hard worker and an excellent provider, yet is always present at every important event. He is an incredible listener, amazing husband, brother, teacher, colleague, friend and grandfather. His joie di vivre is infectious - he is always up for a new adventure or experience, yet loves his home and creating a home. My father is highly creative, generous and loving. Being in his presence is a gift.

My father has always made me feel like he had full confidence in me, and in my dreams. It has felt as if, in his mind, there is nothing that was impossible for me to do or be.

Watching him with my son has been nothing short of blissful. They both treasure their time together and my son often asks about my father… what he would think of something, what he is doing, where he is at any given moment. 

So today, in honor of my dad, I celebrate all the fathers we love. The ones who work hard and play hard. The ones who bring joy to their children and to their families. Those who we are close to, and those who we have recently had the privilege of getting to know.  Here’s to you! 

I hope you feel as loved and as celebrated as you make us feel every day.

Honor the fathers in your life in a special way with a Father’s Day Portrait from Portraits that Move.

Joy Surprises - What Ed Sheeran Taught Me about Community

Last week I went to Ed Sheeran’s concert at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn. I love his music and am always lifted and invigorated when I hear a talented performer give a live concert. At one point during the song, Sing, Ed had the whole audience participating in a round. I was in tears.

I think I cried because of his gift, I cried because I was filled with joy and was having a huge amount of fun. Most of all, though, I think I cried because it felt powerful to be part of a community creating something, even for one song. There was an intense feeling of belonging, of purpose and that the entire experience was bigger than any one person.

I feel that way about parenthood. We can’t do what we do alone and our children need more than just us. It goes beyond family; teachers, friends, doctors, clergy, and the people involved in our everyday communities are all part of the raising of our children. It is beautiful and part of the delicious recipe of what influences and inspires our children to be who they are.

With Portraits That Move, I am also trying to create that sense of belonging for parents. My hope is that when people see our videos, they will be able to relate, to laugh, to sometimes cry and to feel that they are not alone in the parenthood journey. I hope they can feel part of something with us. When we sit with our community, we feel wholly supported and that is deeply meaningful.  It is a true gift.

Definition of a Hero

Last week we shot some footage for a campaign of work we are doing with Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. ALSF is an organization that raises money to fund childhood cancer research.  Last year we created four videos for Alex's Lemonade Stand and this year we are creating more.

We had the opportunity to meet a little boy named Cole and his family who are ALSF heroes. Cole is 11 years old and in remission from cancer. Cole is a powerful kid. He has a huge smile and his zest for life is infectious.

The definition of hero is a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds or noble qualities.  Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation defines all the children that are battling childhood cancer, as heroes and I could not agree more. In my experience spending time with these children (or any other child batting serious illness) these children are motivated, filled with fun and grateful for their lives.

Being in their presence puts things into perspective.  It makes you stop, take stock and assess things. Emotionally, it is the opposite of what one would expect. It is actually uplifting. These children are generous, open and kind. They take each moment seriously, which forces the same for those in their lives. They celebrate everything and joy radiates from them.

I can’t wait to share this video once we finish it and the others that will follow. I feel lucky to have met Cole, Edie, Kaela, Tony and others, and I so look forward to getting a moment to share in their joy and helping to fight the fight of childhood cancer in our own way.

Small Moments

I love holidays of all kinds.  I think they are important times to stop, spend time with family and enjoy. Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, birthdays, anniversaries I love them all and participate in each of them with vigor and excitement.

Once we have children, I think the small moments of life are even more important to celebrate. We can create small traditions in a daily way that mean something to us and to our children. I was recently traveling for several weeks. When I finally returned and had a Saturday with my son, I asked him how he wanted to spend it.  He created the perfect day.

We started by having pastries at our favorite bakery (where we go every time we have a day like this.) We watched a movie, went to the bookstore, had some pizza and went for a long walk. We talked and snuggled and just enjoyed each other. It did not make up for the time I was away, but we were reconnecting and we both enjoyed it.

                                                                                Chocolate croissant, my son's favorite (image via Flickr)

The bakery outing was a special thing that we do frequently, just the two of us. I was excited that he chose to start the day that way. In making that the start of our day, he showed me that the quiet, gentle time is important to him. It was something comforting, celebratory and fun. He needed the moment just as much as I did.

The rest of the day felt the same way- we both love movies, books and pizza. We held hands and felt close. We felt lucky to have this life and each other.

Business Travel: How a Working Mom Can Stay Connected to Her Kids

I’ve been traveling a lot for business lately and I am reminded of how important it is to stay connected to our children when we are separated by distance and how lucky we are to have technology that allows us to do so. 

On my most recent trip to LA, my son and I took full advantage of Facetime, talking together once, and sometimes twice, a day.  It is by no means perfect, and can be difficult to get your child’s attention when you’re not in the same room together (then again, it can be difficult to get their attention when you are in the same room together).  But overall, I was so impressed by and appreciative of the way that Facetime helped us to connect while I was so far away.

Having an image and being able to look into someone’s eyes, makes it so much easier to connect with our kids.  While it can be hard to have a real conversation over the phone with my son, Facetime helped us to connect with and really listen to each other.  For him, at seven, the fact that it was digital and a little techy made it exciting and more fun than holding a phone to his ear.

More than any other time, these business trips have emphasized for me just how much of a role technology plays in keeping us connected and close.  So often, parents bemoan technology and the ways it can fragment, or separate and certainly, this can be true, but in this crazy pace of life, we really are fortunate to have this kind of technology in that it can also keep us together.

They Need to Know You Are OK

One thing I have realized as a working mom who travels is that our kids need to know that we are safe and comfortable when we are away from them.  My son needs to know that when I leave home I am not just out in the ether.  Anything that we can do to help our kids visualize where we are and how we are, anything that provides context for them, helps to ease their minds – and gets them excited about the adventure we are taking, the adventure we are sharing with them as best we can.

My colleague Rebecca sent her daughter daily photos from our set and snapped pictures of the airplane before we boarded all of our flights.  All of this helped her daughter to see that mom is not just away from, she is out doing, and she is happy to share that with her. 

I Facetimed my son from my hotel room every morning (in spite of the time difference that had me up before 5 am) and took him on a tour so he could see the desk where I was working and the view from my window. He could see what I see and know what I am doing.  We could share moments with each other.

We Need to Know They Are OK

The challenges of business travel for working moms are not limited to managing the emotions, and the expectations of our kids.  We need to feel anchored to our children, to know that they are safe and well and thriving.  Knowing this makes it easier to be fully present in our work. It provides us comfort and security. It is essential to the success of our work.

My son’s annual field day was held while I was away and I was struggling a bit, knowing I would miss it.  But his dad shot video of him jumping hurdles and playing with his friends and sent them to me.  He recorded my son’s messages to me.  I cherished all of it. 

The videos made me feel connected and helped me to feel confident that, no matter what, my son and I share a bond.  And that I can still celebrate in his joys, even when I’m not right there on the sidelines.

Happy Mother's Day

To all the moms, grandmothers, special aunts, godmothers and everyone of you who loves and cares for children, we wish you a Happy Mother's Day filled with the joy, pride and love that you find in your children every day.

No matter how you celebrate this weekend, remember to choose joy and remember how loved and appreciated you are.  And how much everything you do matters. We are grateful for you and to be among you. 

Thank you, moms.  Happy Mother's Day! 

With HUGE love,

Susannah

What Mother's Day Means as Our Children Grow

My first Mother’s Day was a huge celebration. I felt triumphant - I had birthed a child who was now almost six months old. He was delicious and smiley and I felt profoundly lucky to be celebrating. I was celebrating the daily successes of motherhood with the bigger, deeper celebration of becoming a mother - something I always knew I wanted, but wasn’t sure I would ever get to have.

Early motherhood was intense. I was, of course, exhausted on a daily basis. I felt like I was supposed to know everything about my son immediately. Initially, I didn’t understand his different cries and what my new baby was trying to tell me. There were months of insecurity, but ultimately, with time and patience, we figured it out.

By the time Mother’s Day rolled around, my son and I had developed our own language.  We understood each other and I was proud of how far we had come.  I was ready to be pampered. I wanted some space to have time with myself. I felt strong, accomplished, and deserving of the indulgences the day allowed.

Now, seven years later, the meaning of Mother’s Day is different for me. It is less about having time away and being pampered and more about settling in, enjoying the moment and staying close to my son.  These seven years have flown by.

Now, celebrating Mother’s Day is more a recognition of how he is growing, of what is working for him, in our home, in our life together. It is a time to assess, reflect and think about how much we bring to each other and how rich our life is as mother and son.

I am so fascinated by what interests him and the way he thinks. I am often in awe of his sense of humor, his bravery and his skills with math. He is strong, yet gentle; loud yet introspective; silly, yet studious. He loves his friends and loves playdates , videogames and  reading. He is clear in his thoughts and in his voice.

I feel grateful to get to share this life with my son. I get to be present with him and for him and I hope to give back to him all that he brings to me and to those around him. This is so much of what we do at Portraits that Move.  We give moms – and dads – the gift of celebration.  The gift of seeing, hearing, learning from and enjoying the voices of our children as they grow, inspire and teach us.

At Portraits that Move, we want to be the mirror to share and show the joy, to express the closeness and richness of parenthood and the profound experience of watching our children develop.

For a special gift of celebration this Mother's Day, give the gift of a moving Portrait and take the time to watch it together this year, next year, and on the Mother's Days to come.

How My Role as Film Producer Trained Me for Motherhood

I was 36 years old when I had my son. I always knew I wanted children, ideally, lots of them. I babysat at a young age, taught at camps and felt energetic and excited whenever I had the chance to be in the presence of children.

I spent my twenties and thirties building my career. I love my work and I always have. I am driven and passionate about being a filmmaker. I have been lucky enough to have worked on incredible projects, with talented, inspiring people.

By the time I was 36 I had been on the team of four narrative, theatrical films and I had produced documentaries for PBS, MSNBC, Ovation TV, Court TV, IFC and other networks. I had won a producing fellowship at Sundance, had produced countless corporate videos and commercials and had several big projects in development.

I was so invested in my work that I took on the production of a documentary, Close-Up Photographers at Work, 8 weeks before my son was due and it aired 4 days before his due date. I loved that project and thankfully, my son was patient.  He arrived two days late, so I had a couple days of downtime before he arrived. I think he and I were always in sync - even then.

As all parents know, once my son was born, my world got turned upside-down. I fell madly, deeply in love with him and at the same time, I felt incredibly panicked about how out of control my life seemed.

I wanted to be with him all the time, yet I felt pulled back to my work. Ultimately, I found an amazing balance and it worked out beautifully for both of us.

And as both my son and I grew, I realized that being a producer is excellent training for becoming a parent. As a producer you need to do the following things, all of which prepare you for the challenges and responsibilities of parenting:

You plan everything   

A well thought out schedule is the backbone of any good production. As a parent, planning and structure are important. Children thrive when there is a rhythm and a familiarity to their lives.

You expect change and are able to roll with it when it happens

Things change in production all the time. People change their involvement with the project. Things get started and then halted. Even weather can change a shoot unexpectedly. 

It is the same with children; they have their own ideas, needs and intentions. And sometimes, as parents, we have to be ok with throwing our plans to the wind.

You encourage them to be their best selves

Producing is about collaboration. Once you have hired the best team possible, you have to do everything you can to support them in bringing all they are to the work they do.

The role of mother is exactly the same. You learn what your child needs, what makes them tick and how to encourage the most authentic manifestation of who they are.

You listen

Whether I am in conversation with a director, client, crew member or my son, I listen with my full attention.  I want them to be heard and to know their voices and opinions are important. 

Lilah tells us at she loves out her mom as we kick off our Mother's Day celebration.

It is in collecting thoughts and creating an environment of trust that the best films and the best parenting happens.

You trust that they will have the life meant for them

Films and children have their own paths. It is not my job to define what that path is, but to gently support and suggest things along the way. It is not up to me, entirely, when a film gets released or what my son’s interests are.

I can listen to what the film tells me and heed the cues my son gives me.

You create space with love

With films it is the director’s responsibility to dig deep and tell the truest story possible. With parenting, our responsibility is to accept and love our children exactly as they are. In both cases, it is critical that a platform is created for this acceptance and love. 

I work hard to do this every day with my son and with Portraits That Move.

Since having my son, I have made some of my best work, On Mediation, Kings Point, Boomtown and many more.  Now, with the work we do here at Portraits that Move, creating documentaries for families, I am so thankful to get to do this every day, to get to be a mother to my son and to have both of these worlds so intertwined, informed and strengthened by each other.

What it Means to Have an Entrepreneur Mom

I love my business. I am excited to do the work that we do. I am inspired, energetic and moved by our work, but being an entrepreneur challenges me in all kinds of ways, some positive, some negative.

There are long hours, financial concerns, marketing hurdles and other challenges. It can feel relentless. I never feel like the work is done and I always feel a sense that I should be doing more, working harder. Sometimes I feel consumed by the business and distracted by it. I worry that building a business is taking me away from the most important part of my life, my son.

I don’t really believe in worrying in general as I don’t think worry actually buys us anything, so when I start to feel that way, I try to refocus my thoughts and come up with the positive things he is learning and experiencing as the son of an entrepreneur.

Here are some of them: 

1.  He is learning that hard work can be fun. I laugh a lot while I am working. I talk about how much I love my work with Portraits that Move and my son sees that.

2.  We can make our own dreams come true and that we should be fearless about it. I had an idea for this business and I went for it. It is working out for me and he is witnessing that. I believe that taking risks is important and the decision to create this business is a risk that has been incredibly rewarding.

3.  Collaboration is necessary. My son has gotten to know many of the people that are on our team. They love him and he loves them. The collaborations feel good.  They are fruitful and nourishing.

4.  He knows about the finances of business. I am an obsessive Shark Tank watcher.  We watch many episodes together and he has a better understanding of the finances of business at 7 than I did into my early twenties. He also has gut instincts about why a business may work or not and it is exciting for me to see his clear-headed decisiveness.

5.  Life can be balanced (I hope!)  I work really hard and from my home, so while my son does witness me working all the time, I still make dinner every night, host many playdates and make it to most events at school. I feel lucky to be able to create a balance and to make my own choices about my schedule.

6.  There is always more to learn. I am constantly pushing myself to learn about new approaches to the work we do, new business ideas and innovative strategies. I never rest or feel like we have done it all or like I know it all.

7.  We can lead with our hearts and feel good about who we are. Portraits that Move is a business built on the concept of joy, of family closeness and connection.

It is not surprising that I would build this type of company as I am a heart-centered person who appreciates and celebrates all of the joy that family brings. I created a company that reflects who I am and we are thriving. I am excited to do this work every day, and my son witnesses that and participates in it.

Recently on our walk to school, I asked him about what it means to have an entrepreneur mom, and what it means, specifically, to have Portraits that Move in our lives.

He paused for a second and said,

“I feel great about it Mom.”

“Why?” I asked, “Tell me more.”  

“Well,” he said, “Portraits That Move is great because it makes US really happy.” 

It certainly does.  And it is my privilege to share that joy with each one of you.  To help your children share their voices and to create a space for the conversations we most want to have, those conversations in which we learn as much from our children as we can ever hope to teach them, by our hard work, every day.

Continue to join me on this journey building a business and sharing joy.

Planning vs. Staying in the Present - A Multitasking Mom's Daily Struggle

Staying present is hard. I am a planner, a list maker, a person who loves structure and organization. It is hard to be a planner and also to be a person who lives in the moment. The planner part of myself takes over.  It keeps the list close, has an ongoing LOUD voice that reminds me of all I have do to do every day.

I feel good when I listen to that voice, when I accomplish and check things off.

The deeper, quieter, more soulful part of myself is more knowing. She knows that we have this one moment, this one breath, that it can be taken quickly and over before we know it. She knows from experience how short life is and she whispers to the planner, “slow down, enjoy, be in this moment, savor it… you have this time, this now, this moment, this chance.”

The planner usually wins out over the voice that reminds me to stay in the present.  But it is a battle every day, every hour.  I think most moms feel this way.

The strength it requires to listen to the voice that keeps us in the present and still feel relaxed when the house is a mess, dinner is not made, work is not done… is some powerful strength.

But it is right. This voice, she is wise and soulful and I want to listen to her more.

I once heard that what a person teaches is what they most need to learn. I think that applies here. With Portraits That Move, we attempt every day to listen to the voice that keeps us in the present. We want to give you that, because once you see and feel and experience a moment of calm presence, a moment of that simple joy, you want more.

Our team, made of professional filmmakers committed to this idea, documents for you the feeling of the present so you can watch the videos and laugh and cry with your children and remember the choice we have every day, every hour, every now.  

Please enjoy the gift we are so pleased to share with all of our clients every day.  Now, I am going to go snuggle with my seven year old, while I still can.

Be a Leader and a Follower - Advice from Grandma Rose

My grandmother, Rose Ludwig, was an extremely wise woman. She lived to be almost 93 years old and had a great deal to teach all of us about life, love, and relationships. She studied psychology and was interested in what makes people tick - especially when it came to matters of the heart. She was happily married for 45 years, so I guess, she knew what she was talking about.

We were very close. One day she said to me, “In every relationship one person is a leader and the other is a follower and it is important that these roles should be able to shift and each person is able to switch places.”  The other day it occurred to me that this is an important theory in regards to how we do our work.

When we show up at someone’s home to shoot a portrait or a snapshot, we have a plan. We have spoken with your family ahead of time and have a structure in mind. We have a system, one that we have carefully created. However, when we get there if the kids want us to know something other than what we have planned, we follow their lead. We let them guide us- we let their truths be the path. We listen carefully to the child, to their needs and to the needs of all of those involved.

The listening can become almost meditative. It is about openness, feeling, sensing and then following. Listening is an empowering act. And ultimately one from which you can derive tremendous knowledge and power. If you listen carefully enough you will know the answers to make the best decisions. One has to be able to follow in order to lead well.

This is important in parenting as well. We are our best selves when we listen, when we take in and absorb what our children need. In listening, we are empowered to be the best parents we can be.

I remember when my grandmother gave me her advice about being a leader and a follower.  I thought, who would want to ever be a follower? She was right though, and I have come to understand that sometimes following is the clearest path to leadership and to our truth.

Why Make Documentaries for Families?

I have always been a recorder. I have always kept a journal, taken photographs, made scrapbooks, collected mementoes.

For as long as I can remember, I have had a pull, a deep desire to catalog my life - to write things down and to have a record of where I went, what I felt.  Of who I am.

In some way this has been in service of generating proof that I WAS HERE. That doing this proves my existence, my purpose and the reason that I am still alive in the face of ridiculous odds.

In a way then, it makes perfect sense that I would feel just as compelled to create a business that is about the documentation of everyday life and the joy and beauty that such an act brings.

As a parent this sense of feeling compelled to document life goes even deeper.  When you become a parent, you begin to think about legacy.  You ask what will our children think of this.  How will they know us?

How will they know their history?

We begin to think, as parents, about what can we do to help our children understand who we are and, in a similar way, who they are.

How will our children remember their lives if their moments, if these memories we build, are not documented?

As a parent, I believe it is part of our job, part of our responsibility to document our children’s lives, to show them who they were before they even were old enough to have their own memories.

My father was (and still is) an avid photographer. Most major childhood events in our lives are documented with many beautiful pictures. To this day, my father loves recording his travels and creating a travelogue.  He enjoys taking candid shots of our family whenever we are all together.  This hobby of his provides us with proof of our journey, and also of our love for each other.

It is important and soothing and meaningful.

I feel compelled to document my life and my family’s, as a result of the model my father has given me for tracking our journey. This desire is not unique to us. It is universal.

The way that Portraits that Move is able to provide this kind of documentation, our process and the film we create for you, is unique, and memorable and beautiful. More importantly, it is my honor, it is an obligation I have taken on and take seriously, to help families record their existence together. To prove they were here, too, and to do so with love.

See some of the documentaries we have created for families and learn about what the experience has been like for moms, dads and kids, to go through the process of creating a family documentary with Portraits that Move.

Slow Down and Savor the Memories We Make Every Minute

As modern parents, our lives are busy, hectic, frenetic. We are trying to do more, achieve more, have more and our children are a huge part of this. We rely on technology to help us get it all done, and this can be a wonderful thing. The downside of this new pace of our lives is that everything is faster, including how quickly our children grow up and how fast we feel the time going by.

Before we know it, our children are 3, 5, 12 years old, and we realize we were so busy that we forgot to sit in the moment, to feel it, to treasure it. Sitting in the moment is hard, it pushes us to feel more, to recognize all that we have (and the flip side of that, all that we have to lose).

But it is this act of being present that is what is best for us and ultimately best for our children. When we take the time to live in the everyday, we are creating memories that we, and our children, will treasure.

The memories of small moments hold us and keep us close. The way a child looks, the way he phrases something, the things that are important to her, and to our families are worth documenting. Modern technology makes it easy to record these moments, but we too often do so in a way that is haphazard or flippant. We are fast about recording our lives, rather than intentional.  Just like we are often fast about living our lives, rather than intentional.

This is where Portraits that Move comes in. We help you to hold these moments in time with love, reverence and care. We stay present with you and then we give that moment back to you, to savor. In making our short documentary films for families, we slow down the frenetic pace of everyday life with kids and allow you to feel the real moments, the memories, of your child’s life, today. 

Learn more about how the Portraits that Move experience has helped parents to slow down, appreciate and savor moments with their kids. What about this time in your child's life do you want to remember most? 

A space for All of Us - In Front of the Camera

I have spent more than two decades behind the camera. As a young child, I wanted to be an actress, a performer and a singer.

I loved being on stage, but quickly found out that, even though I was driven, I was not particularly talented.

When I was fourteen I got lucky. The high school I attended had a public access television station, and I enrolled in a class to learn about video production.

My life changed.

I felt the creative rush of making something that the world could experience without having to be the one in front, performing. I could make decisions, have a voice and lead a project in a new way. I was hooked. I loved all aspects of producing.  I still do.

Later, I went to film school and graduate film school, embarking on the journey of learning how to be a good producer.  In the early days of my career, the voice of a film was really that of the director. The producer’s job was to stand behind the director and the on-camera talent - to be the support and power behind the public representation of a project.

I felt at home in that role, knowing I could make a difference while supporting the people with whom I worked. I could create a safe space for everyone involved with the project.

I could help them find and tell their truths, and share the message of the film.

Interestingly, now, after twenty years of that work, I am faced with a shift in roles, thanks to the launch of Portraits that Move – and this blog, specifically. I’m excited but, frankly, a little nervous to put my own voice out there, my image, and my ideas. It feels weird and unsettling to be in front of the camera instead of behind it, but it is exactly where I need to be.

Why? First, I believe that we should try things that scare us.  The other side of that risk is empowerment. Second, if I am asking people to be in front of the camera and tell their truths, then I need to do the same. This kind of trust, this type of dialogue is what we need for the authenticity and accessibility of Portraits that Move.

Sharing our feelings unites us and makes us feel closer.  A recent conversation with my cousin reinforced that perspective and suggested that this blog be a conduit for connection.  So, in that spirit, I hope that this space will be just that, a place for us to feel closer, to share in joy, and to be in this together.

Thank you in advance for the support and feedback, as I step out from behind the camera.  Looking forward to our continued conversation, and exploration of truth, connection and fearlessness together. 

~ Susannah Ludwig, March 2015

Remembering Albert Maysles - Father of the Modern Documentary - and Mentor

I want to take a moment and pay tribute to Albert Maysles, who passed last week. Albert was considered the father of the modern documentary and even more than that, he was a beloved husband, father, friend, teacher and mentor to so many young filmmakers.

Albert Maysles, photo via IMDB

I had the wonderful blessing of working with Albert on two films and being in his presence was life changing. He was full of light - his energy and enthusiasm for life lit up a room and were contagious. He loved filmmaking and people and the fact that he got to spend his life making films about people. He was warm and loving and filled with fun. He had more energy than most people I know, even people much younger than he. Most of all, Albert Maysles had a strong passion and commitment to truth, to intimacy in filmmaking and to beauty.
 
His philosophy was to “get close,” and to “love your subject.” When you watch his films, you can feel that. Every frame is filled with love and admiration for them.  It is beautiful and heartfelt. This philosophy has certainly influenced our approach at Portraits That Move. We love every child we have the great opportunity to spend time with. I feel lucky to have been able to get to know Albert Maysles, to learn from him and to bask in a few moments of his beauty.

Thank you, Albert, what a gift your life has been.

Thank you - The Best Prayer Anyone Could Say

“'Thank you' is the best prayer that anyone could say. I say that one a lot. Thank you expresses extreme gratitude, humility, understanding.”

-Alice Walker

This month marks a year since we publicly announced the launch of Portraits That Move, and what an incredible one it has been.

Who could have predicted that, when the inspiration hit me – in the middle of the night, no less – how deeply meaningful this work would be for me and how much passion it would inspire in me on a daily basis.  It has been completely amazing in all senses of the word.

So, in celebration of our first year, and in consideration of the quote above from Ms. Walker, it’s my turn to offer up my sincere gratitude for the Portraits That Move adventure so far.

First, I am so grateful to the kids who have let us videotape them. It is not always easy to have someone asking questions and a camera there- but all of the kids were incredible. They were present and joyful, they were honest, and they had fun. I laughed and learned at every single shoot.

Second, thank you to the parents who have become our clients - for trusting me with your children and for believing in the importance of documenting our lives. It has been with tremendous joy that we have done this work. Thank you for allowing us to do it and for spreading the word to friends and family, and for supporting us in all the ways that you have.

As well, thank you to the whole Portraits That Move team – the best team ever. Every one of you is special and crazy talented, and brilliant, and energetic and generous. I am grateful for all of you. The teamwork makes the journey even sweeter.  

Of course, without the backing of my friends and family, I would have given up 11 months ago.  Your support has been limitless and there are not enough words to tell all of you how much it means to me.  Thank you!

And finally, I am most grateful to my son. To be his mom every day - to see the world through his eyes and his voice - it is truly the greatest gift of my life.

Thank you all for your words of kindness, for joining us on social media, and for being a part of our community.   Stay connected for special offers, new announcements and sneak previews: join our community mailing list today.

With much love,

Susannah