Photograph - Def Leppard

The Little Devils

Sometimes you get throw a ‘life moment’ when you are least expecting it. I’m referring to the by now famous, recent group family portrait ‘life moment’.

The whole ‘portrait experience’ as we’ll call it began in July when Jen turned 50 and said that she’d wanted a large format canvas of us all to adorn the lounge wall. Oh dear, was my immediate thought but I mean, how could I refuse? And what to you give to the woman that has everything.

 

Anyway, it was greeted with an extremely low level of enthusiasm from the Coleman children and following a disastrous boy’s haircut and then re-cut, many t-shirt options and dresses being bought, tried on and returned we were set for early morning appointment at the photographer’s studio in Cardiff.

 

The morning was like an average school day, you know the ones, no one moving, everyone tired, bedraggled and totally uncooperative – yep everyone was grumpy. And when we did finally get in the car, I asked everyone if we could start again – you get the idea…

 

We eventually found the place and the shoot began, the photographer giving it 100%, Charles 8 giving it about 99% less as he went into the ‘I’m-not-smiling-mode’ and nothing is gonna make him snap me out of it mindset. Threats of months and even years without electronic devices went unheeded and as I looked at Jen, our eyes lifted heavenwards, searching for divine intervention.

 

Following an excruciating twenty minutes of editing by the photographer, in a room away from the studio, he returned, and the results are projected onto a screen.

 

The room darkened, soft music played, and the family portrait was revealed.

 

And then there was the moment.

 

An overwhelming life moment. 

 

The one where your whole world is captured in a single picture. Jen looked stunning. The little Devils; aren’t little Devils. They look amazing. Me, I didn’t see myself through the tears, and I simply had to leave the room.

 

Yes, the ‘Snapshot of Life’ had got me in a moment. My world in one frame.

 

Enough said - apart from Oliver Jones who is an amazing photographer and if you need to see your world in one frame, then he’ll help you find it. 

He captured mine...

1,193 Marathons - 279 Ultras - 17 MDS Legendary - 9 GWR - One World