About three weeks ago, my sweet son graduated from elementary school. Admidst the ceremonies and parties and the bidding farewell to teachers there was much excitement and there were some tears, too.
I’ll admit, the tears were mostly mine. I was overwhelmed, filled up by the emotion of it all. The rush of time moves me so much, I felt on the brink of tears for most of June. It is hard to describe the exact reason. I felt sad that my baby is not a baby. I felt sad that he is my only child and that this part of the journey is over for me as a parent. He is growing so fast and is almost a teenager. I want to hold on to our routines, our sweet time together, our personal daily rituals.
Competing with the tears was tremendous pride and his excitement, which was contagious. He is ready for a new school, a change, new friends, new challenges. I am proud of his fearlessness and excited to see what lies around the next bend for him.
I started Portraits that Move because I assume that all deep feelings are universal and that most parents share these bittersweet feelings around the passage of time. I imagine that most want to stop the clock the way I do. Don't you? This urge pushes me to find new ways to create videos that are meaningful for families as they go through rites of passage. How can we help you remember the first day of kindergarten, the special family trip, the graduation, the Bar or Bat Mitzvah?
As filmmakers and parents, we want to be here to help you hold on, to stay in the moment and to capture it for you. The feelings will still be there - but knowing we are documenting the moment allows you to have something special to hold on to, with your own joy-filled tears.