The 52 Project // 2014

by Ashley Weeks Cart

Steeped in nostalgia and reflection of the past 52 weeks, I revisited all of 2014 and 2013’s portraits, grateful to have kept up with this project as it is always so interesting and lovely to go back and see them in progression. In selecting my favorite five portraits of each of the girls, I noticed that, no surprise, the images that I chose were almost entirely captured outside (in the one indoor shot I chose, Sunny is bathed in sunlight near a window). It’s a combination of things that makes these images sing. Technically, my photography (like most photography) is 10,000 times better out in natural sunlight. But I also love my children immersed in the world around them, outdoors, in nature, in the water, with food pulled from the garden, dancing with leaves… these are the images that I want to define their memories when they reflect on their childhoods. I want those moments to be at the fore of their thoughts.

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My favorite portraits of Courtland in 2014. Interestingly, three of the five images were taken in the Poconos at James’ favorite place in the entire world. I seem to have captured the magic of the place in his youngest daughter this past year.

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My favorite portraits of Addison in 2014. Her portraits were from a broader sampling of the year, from winter, to spring, to summer, to fall. Cyclic, like this project. And our lives. While their limbs grow longer, their minds more complicated, there’s a rhythm to our family and these portraits like the world around us.

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In the spirit of my first post of 2015, I hope that I can be more experimental and fresh with my images in this new year. Try using the camera differently, shooting from angles I wouldn’t normally take, or in light that wouldn’t usually appeal, and create more interesting, dynamic and compelling portraits. Some may fail. But others may have that special something (like that image of Courtland coated in red lipstick in the woods) that tell a greater story and keep me coming back time and time again.