Random Excellence: Kai Plews

Kai Plews, Dex and Gus

'Daddy Goggles': I got this note the other day from TOP reader Mike Plews, about the photograph above, which was taken by Mike's son Kai:

This is an example of a person’s critical faculties completely deserting them. Kai sent me this shot he took with his phone on Sunday. It is of Dex carrying his kid brother Gus back to the van after a play in the park.

I completely love it but this is a case of double-thick daddy goggles at work. A picture taken by my son of two of my grandchildren arrives front-loaded for me to love it. I have it as my desktop image right now, both to look at two of my favorite people on the planet and also to remind me of just how subjective the analysis of what we do can be.

It feels like a strong picture to me even without the family connection, but because it is of these two I go batcrap crazy about it and any kind of critical detachment is out the window.

Being only an e-friend of Mike's and not knowing Dex or Gus at all, I still think it's a very fine picture. But just knowing how Mike feels about it makes me see it sympathetically to his view of it. What do you think?

(Published with Kai's and Mike's permission.)

Mike
(Thanks to Kai, Mike, Dex, and Gus)

Original contents copyright 2018 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

B&H Photo • Amazon US • Amazon UK
Amazon Germany • Amazon Canada • Adorama

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Aashish Sharma: "I've commented very few times here and only when a picture shared here made me smile. This is one more of those. I'm not someone you might consider very 'discerning,' or even someone who consistently knows what he likes, but a few of the pictures you've shared here over time have triggered a really emotional reaction from me. Thanks for sharing this one. Cheers, Aashish."

Speed: "It's a terrific picture. The bandage on one boy's elbow is icing on the cake. No staged shot this."

grigoris: "I think that the composition is a little too tight. I would rather see the full body of the exhausted kid carried by his brother. Anyway, I like it but not much."

David Maxwell: "This is the kind of picture that makes me love photography! It is packed with emotion and really conveys a sense of nostalgia for me. I would hang it on the wall and enjoy it for a long time.

"The aspect ratio makes me think it was taken with a cellphone, not that I care at all because the picture is so superb. My son was born 3.5 weeks ago and I have taken almost all of the photos of him with my phone, despite using him as an excuse to buy a refurbished Canon 80D and two lenses. I definitely view all of the pictures I have taken of him through 'daddy goggles.' Ten-year-ago-me (heck, one-year-ago-me if we are really being honest here) would think that I've turned into a loser, but I'm having too much fun to care! Wow, parenthood changes everything.

"My wife turned 40 on Tuesday and she loved the photo I gave her of her holding our son minutes after he was born. It was taken with the 80D and printed at 8x10. I haven't actually told her about the 80D, but if she ever does realize that it is a new camera, I will point to that picture and tell her I couldn't have gotten as good of a shot with my old (but beloved) Rebel. Not sure if it's true or if she will believe it, but it's worth a shot."

Joe Boris: "Mike, before even reading your post this image just grabbed me, and I expected to find in your copy, the story of some great photographer whose work I'd like to see more of. That it is a 'phone grab' of the shooter's kids sent without second thought to another family member, in no way diminishes the impact of its emotion, gesture and beauty."

Ken Bennett: "This photo stopped me in my tracks before I knew anything about it. Exceptional."

Mark O: "Its the composition and subject matter that do it for me, rather than the technical aspects. Two kids, at play in the fields, one completely tired out and the other, hair blown back, Band-Aid on arm, headed home after a day properly done. Reminds me of when I grew up, when any time spent inside was considered lost time."

Mark C.: "I think it works. It has the air of the classic street photo of people's backsides as they walk away from the camera, which I usually loathe, but it works for me anyway. Part of that is probably the cute kid factor, which I often like; part of it is the big outdoors/landscape, which I also usually like. And I suppose all the photo critique stuff that I might feel, but haven't much learned to quantify, must also be okay since it's enjoyable to study. (Is good near-far balance one of those photo-critique factors? It seems to have that.) From a 'photo critic' who doesn't even know the jargon."

Ken Tanaka: "Well Mike Plews, I don’t have any 'daddy goggles' but I think it’s a damn fine image, one that transcends the personal family memento snapshot. Anyone who’s had a sibling should be able to immediately identify with the moment captured here. A wonderful moment of childhood, made universal by the faces being obscured. But just enough of Gus’s face is seen to convey an end-of-a-great-day feeling. Dex’s elbow bandage is the cherry on this wonderful sundae. Thanks for sharing this wonderful image with us."

Comments

[Michael]

The great depth of field, and the apparent gaze of the larger boy, place the two neatly -- Kids in Huge Space. Their close & caring contact stands in tension with that vastness. The figures read immediately as suggesting any similarly sympathetic relationship. This is enhanced by their anonymity: very personal, could be any such kids.

So that's my two bits' worth. Thanks to all involved for sharing this.

[John Krumm]

Looks great to me, and if you had told me it was taken by some well known artist I would not have doubted. It has that wistful quality that I love in some good family photos with the kid looking off in the distance, and shows connection with the one hanging on. A keeper!

[Len Salem]

A brilliant photo.
Here's my reading of it.
Background represents the big unknown world. No signposts. Potentially a good or a bad place to explore - you won't find out which until you make the journey.
Older brother up for it. Upright, looking towards the horizon, happy to support his younger brother on life's path. Younger brother tired, sleepy or asleep, completely trusting in his older brother.
An ideal sibling relationship beautifully portrayed.
It doesn't matter at all to the value or interpretation of this photo if Kai saw it like I do, but if he did then definitely an image maker to watch and encourage.

[Anthony Shaughnessy]

I thought it was a good shot immediately, before I read the story.
Anthony

[adamct]

I absolutely love it. Even putting aside the wonderful subject, it manages to hit a particular formal soft spot for me: I love pictures with a brighter foreground (Dex's cheek, neck and shirt) than background (the field and even the darkening sky).

Best,
Adam

[Alexhfm]

A beautiful scene indeed! Curious about the BW conversion. Any info on that?

[Chris]

It's picture a grandparent would be expected to like. For me, it's OK, but I really would like to see someone's face. I probably would have kept the next shot in the sequence where one or other of the boy's faces was more visible (assuming there was one). The older boy's face being turned away is the equivalent, to me, of the all-too-common street shot of someone's back. The center of interest has little to reward the uninvolved viewer.

[Stephen Scharf]

I think its a great pic, too, and for everyone that also likes this photo, I would advise them to watch Kevin Mullin's "Looking for Emotion in Photography" YouTube video. Its one of the most important and heartfelt videos on photography I've seen in some time. Kevin stresses that its not about technical perfection, its about connecting emotionally with the viewer. Highly, highly recommended. https://youtu.be/Bg0nqsRmrhg

[Michael]

Very strong photo. People work at this for years and fail to come up with anything as good.

[Paul]

Its all about family magic or brotherly love and youth. When most about life should be about having fun and not caring one damn bit about growing up. It's broken every camera geek rule but it's got soul and in the end that's what counts.

[Matt]

I agree with you that it’s a decent picture even without the daddy goggles. The connection between the two boys is very strong. And the B&W treatment plus the open field behind them both highlight it, IMO. It could have perhaps been framed a little better. But all in all I think it’s still pretty good.

[Stan B.]

It is, in fact, "a very fine picture."

[beuler]

That picture totally works for me. Cheeky closed eyes are oriented to the viewer and (we presume) wide open eyes gazing at the expanse ahead. There is just enough detail on the horizon to make it visually interesting without being cluttered. And of course no one can resist humans comfortably embracing one another.

I am a father of 2 boys who are 10 and 8 years old. The older is blond and the younger is brunette. When they are not fighting they play together and are protective of each other. I wish I had and equally splendid picture of them. So perhaps I have my Daddy Goggles on too.

[Michael Perini]

I think it is a lovely picture, with or without the story.
The picture stopped me, I just looked for a while before I read anything. Lovely, I thought.
This is the kind of picture to show folks who say there is nothing to take pictures of today.
It is one of those 'tweeter' moments that most folks would pass by, waiting for a 'more proper' one. It is one of those moments that shows off the power of the still photograph.
It also shows how much we can miss when we don't really look.
Nice !

[Dennis]

"But just knowing how Mike feels about it makes me see it sympathetically to his view of it. What do you think?"
Well aren't we all sympathetic to his view now ? You poisoned the jury pool !!!
At first, it didn't do much for me. Then it made me want to know more - it seems like a photo that should be illustrating a great story or part of a series. But the explanation says all there is to say - walking back to the van after playing. That takes away all the potential for poignancy. Or does it ? I guess it grew on me while trying to figure out what I thought of it. Certainly anyone with a connection to the children should love it. I like it, too.

[Stephen Gilbert]

"Published with Kai's and Mike's permission."

What about Dex and Gus?

[Stephen S. Mack]

Love it! The picture has everything wrong with it that can be wrong according to current fashion: too dark, the subject is in the center, black and white instead of color, etc., etc., and so forth. It is absolutely lovely.

I think for most of us, the only pictures that really matter, in the end, are those of people we love and cherish and care for. And any "flaws" simply make them even better.

Can you say, "Wabi sabi"?

With best regards,

Stephen

[James]

It is great! I do understand where Mike is coming from about subject matter - it happens to me ALL the time.

[Dave in NM]

“Daddy Goggles” notwithstanding, it’s a beautiful picture: objectively, a very moving depiction of brotherhood and childhood.

[James Bullard]

I vote that it is a good picture. What it portrays is universal as well as personal.

[Tim McGowan]

I see poetry .

[Wayne]

As a dad, I get the appeal of this photo; I have many like it of my son, and I rue the day that my son decided he had had it with cameras and having his picture taken. Sigh. But for that reason, I am all the more grateful for the many pictures I did get that photography--especially digital--made possible. But I have another bone to pick that for some reason, this post has brought to mind. I have a confession: many times, I just don't get what others see in a photo. And I'm talking specifically about a book you recommended highly a few years ago: John Szarkowski's "Looking at Photographs" from the collection of the Museum of Modern Art. A few of them, okay. Many others of them, my reaction is, "What the...? Why is THIS here?" I have two collections of Cartier-Bresson that have expanded my appreciation for what a photo can capture. I appreciated much of the late Michael Reichmann's landscapes and street shots--that sometimes violated "the rules" (e.g., square composition). Sometimes I "get it"--many times, I don't. Sometimes it bugs me, most of the time, it doesn't. It's a paradox: it's a picture, you can see it, even analyze it. Yet what it is, is highly debatable!

[Mike Chisholm]

You'll get a lot of these, I'm sure, but: I wonder how old you have to be immediately to think, "He ain't heavy, he's my brother"?

Mike

[Malcolm Myers]

I have to admit that the main reason for all my photography is to document the lives of those closest to me. So I'm biased but it looks like a lovely picture which I'm sure the boys will treasure in later years. Sharpness? Contrast? Lens? Camera? Time spent in Lightroom? No-one cares! It makes you feel good and that counts for an awful lot!

[Paulo Bizarro]

I think it is a fine photo, very family - evocative.

[Mike Katz]

I'd crop the right side and maybe some of the left. My personal preference is to eliminate as much as possible of what's not the subject, without of course losing context.

Having said that, I think it's a great photo. Ideal for B&W, and, maybe because of that, it conveys real emotion to me.

Mike

[Al DaValle]

Completely agree!

[Steve Rosenblum]

I think it is a really wonderful photograph. Besides the subject matter/emotional content how about that light? Gorgeous!

[Earl Dunbar]

This reminds me very much of Larry Towell's work in The World From My Front Porch.

[KeithB]

MarkO:
I know we are not supposed to communicate with other commenters directly, but I think Calvin (of Calvin and Hobbes) said it best:
"Consider this day seized!"

[Yonatan K]

It is great, and I agree with Speed that the bandaid on the elbow is `icing on the cake'. I have taken and enjoyed many daddy-goggle photos (really, my main pursuit in photography), but this one transcends the genre. It is, as others have said, timeless, and I would add universal (without really knowing what I mean by that).

[Steven Willard]

Reminds me of the Gene Smith photo of two kids holding hands on the forest path. I think it’s terrific.

[Peter]

Very nice - got my attention, held my interest and I got something (not necessarily definable)out of it. Could it be artistically or mechanically better - maybe, and that's very subjective. I don't care about any of that - all I care about about is what I got out of it.

[Al C.]

The best image I have seen here. No staging. No look-at-me "serendipity". No clever irony. Nothing but sincerity which ought to touch everyone, and to which anyone who has kids or siblings can relate at a very deep level.

[Seth Honeyman]

He ain’t heavy - he’s my brother.

[Jim A.]

This image brought to mind an old Calvin and Hobbes strip where Calvin is preparing for a bath and says to Hobbes, "...if your knees aren't green by the end of the day, you ought to seriously re-examine your life."

[Jack Stivers]

It works for me. I think it is a good picture. I don't need a back story. The image is enough.

Cheers
Jack

[Rod S.]

Mike, I (the photographer) like it quite a lot and my partner (not a photographer) finds it frustrating.

There's so much to like. It speaks of brotherly intimacy and care. The late light on the boys is beautiful and highlights them against the plain background. While the faces are turned and mostly obscured (which helps generalise the theme) the single visible eye is sufficient to convey a sense of peace and attachment.

My partner found it frustrating because she can't see their faces, "making it impossible to perceive anything anything significant about their emotional state" (Me: "What? There's all that feeling visible!"). "And the landscape is bland". (Me: It's not about the landscape; it's about the feeling!). But note: She's a psychiatrist and wants to see their facial expressions!

Want to see more examples of this feeling? They are scattered throughout Terence Malik's masterpiece "The Tree of Life", particularly in the climatic final big scene on the beach.

[Jason]

It’s a super photo. Ignore the tools used to make it and accept it for what it is.

[Charles]

Perhaps I'm a curmedgeon, but the photo is halfway between a family snapshot and a fine photograph. On one hand, it has more mood than most snapshots (partly because someone took the time to put it into black and white), and the light on the Dex's hair is a nice circumstance. On the other hand, the horizon line at the level of their faces does serious damage, Dex's gaze doesn't lead the eye to anything of significance, and a crop of about 15 percent off the left or right would help.

[Steve Jacob]

This is an object lesson in good tonality. And that's without daddy goggles.

[Bill Tyler]

I love this image. The subject is evocative, the black-and-white conversion and the turned-away and partially obscured faces let us see a universal symbol of brotherhood. Contrary to some commenters, I think the cropping is excellent. The spaces before and behind evoke a journey; including the carried brother's rear would lessen that sense, at least for me.

[Rob Campbell]

On my iPad it comes over as a great photograph with beautiful tonality.

There's no need for caption nor for explanations; it's one of those images where the viewer's imagination supplies all the additional aid it hardly requires.

Good photography; whether regularly good or just this once, matters not at all. Stands on its own worth.