mimic

pictures from an afternoon with h at the lincoln park zoo + conservatory a few weeks back. this girl is my favorite subject. she's a kind soul who doesn't mind having a camera in her face (most of the time). it was very chilly, so we spent the majority of our day huddled in the conservatory while i taught her to use my 35mm camera (she enjoys using disposable cameras and my polaroid). i hope that these are photographs we both look back on together as we grow older, remembering our early days as best friends / adventurers.

this girl//

this girl has my heart. which swells every time she hugs me goodnight or mimics one of my oddities. she loves america to the bone and even dances to billy idol + hall & oates with me some days. she dreams up outfit concoctions i only wish i had the chutzpah to rock now. she's a tiny dancer. a real outdoorsy girl when she wants to be. a kitchen helper. a creative mind. an explorer of the world.

just last weekend she was directing me where to sit as i tried to explain how to use a 35mm camera to her. she turned my chin towards the light with her small fingers and instructed me to look up into the flowers. the amount of patience she shows when it's just the two of us-- huddled in a fort reading, watching jellyfish at the aquarium, carefully composing 27 photos on a disposable camera, and even walking alongside the lakefront of a blisteringly hot day-- swells my heart. this girl has shown me kindness in the purest of ways. a shared apple slice. inviting me to read her bedtime stories. going to the farmer's market together in matching sequined mouse ears.

this girl has my heart. my whole entire heart.