Daniel McInnis

In 2007, I had my 8×10 camera set up in Carroll Gardens in west Brooklyn. When my originally-scheduled subject cancelled, I decided to wait awhile to see if anyone would pass along. This mother and her kids turned the corner, and I asked her if I could take their photograph. She was obliging, but I was worried that the kids, the baby especially, would not stand still long enough for a successful portrait. I almost discarded this image, but many people commented on it. I hadn’t considered the colors; the way each member of the family had some shade of red on them. Similar hues were echoed in the fire call box, the little flecks on the silver light pole, and the taxi’s tail light. The composition is a strong pyramid, the children shifting toward the mother instinctively in the presence of a stranger taking their photograph. There are so many other aesthetic details: the gentle cupping of the younger daughter’s hand, the differing posture of both of the girls’ legs, the mother’s somewhat forced yet friendly smile, and the toddler’s fidgety helplessness. I can’t believe I almost discarded this image.