Ben is the last of my siblings to graduate high school. That makes me feel seriously OLD. I’ve photographed senior photos for every single one of my six siblings (I just now realized that and as I write it out I can barely accept it). As my youngest brother, he is the last of the siblings but never the least (honestly, they’re all equal in my eyes). Even though there are 13 years between us (and though he claims that almost all his memories of me are after I moved out and went to college) I still have a special connection to him. He might not remember those early years, but I do. Being the oldest of seven children, I was often helping my mom with the youngest ones. That means that I remember hours of pushing Ben in a stroller as a baby and taking care of him as a big sister for years after that. Then, as we both grew older and (somewhat) more mature, we learned we shared a creative streak. I remember when I first took up oil painting, he asked for a canvas and we both stood outside painting our masterpieces together in the open air.
These days Ben is a fantastic comedian and actor and I’m floored by his talent. He also is talented in sports and enjoys football. I see and admire his deep, rich soul and it was great to spend the afternoon with him being goofy and taking pictures of his awesome self. It was an afternoon I’ll always remember (and he better remember it, too) It wasn’t hard to make him look good. He has impeccable genes.
