They Came Dressed Like a Statement

I got to Winterthur early that morning. Walked the grounds. Checked the light. Got my head right. The sky was bright blue. The estate sitting pretty behind bare winter trees. I knew the location was going to do its job.

What I did not know was that Ayanna and her daughter were about to show up and completely take over. They stepped out in floor length fur coats. Sunglasses on. Leather gloves. Leopard print heels. Not a single look between them that said they were there to play around.

I did not say much. I just started shooting. We hit the stone steps first. Her daughter stood at the top and looked up like the whole world was beneath her. Ayanna sat below her cool and relaxed. That historic building rising up behind them both. I remember looking through the viewfinder thinking this does not even look real.

But it was. Then we moved to the red wall. Just her daughter. Brown fur. Black leather gloves. Shades. That red blazing behind her. I took one look and knew that frame was going to stop people.

We kept moving. The fountain. The open grounds. The winter sun doing exactly what I needed it to do. And then near the end of the session the light shifted. Got warmer. Softer. That golden kind that only shows up for a few minutes and then it is gone.

I looked over and Ayanna and her daughter were close together. I did not say anything. I just got low and moved in slow. Her daughter rested her head on her mother’s shoulder.

Both of them looked right at me. I took the shot. That was it. Session over. Not because we ran out of time or locations. Because that frame said everything. All that confidence and fashion and fierceness from the whole day and it all came down to this. A daughter leaning on her mom. Two women who have been each other’s safe place their whole lives just being exactly that.

I knew when I got home and pulled that image up on my screen that it was the one.

It still is.