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https://alphauniverseglobal.media.zestyio.com/Alpha-Universe-Alpha-Female-Sony-Family-Winner-Lacey-Taylor-1.jpg?width=500&height=500&fit=bounds

Lacey Taylor Wins #SonyFamily Challenge

Congratulations to our Alpha Female+ #SonyFamily challenge winner Lacey Taylor (@laceytaylorphotos). Taylor receives a Sony ZV-1 for this photograph of her children gathering for popcorn, which she posted with the caption: "Popcorn parties gained a new member: Little brother is cueing in to all the fun things his older siblings get to do and he is ready to join the party. Traditions don't always have to be big and elaborate. Some of our favorites are super simple. Playing games at the table. Donuts on Saturday mornings has been a staple for a long time. Family walks when the weather warms up. The whole point for us is to connect together as a family. To enjoy each other's company and forge relationships that will last throughout our lives." Read more about the image below.

Lacey Taylor wins the #SonyFamily Challenge and a new Sony ZV-1 for this image of a special moment showing her children gathering for a popcorn party.

"As a documentary photographer, I am drawn to how my kids interact with one another in their day-to-day living,” Taylor explains. “As I came upon this scene, I immediately retreated upstairs to grab my camera. Often I compose on my kid's level to allow the viewer to feel like they're with my kids in the scene. This time, this image was selfishly composed for me. When I look back in 20 years, I want to remember exactly what it felt like to watch my kids gather for their popcorn parties. I positioned myself so each person could be viewed as a contributing subject to the final image. This also placed them closer to the same plane of focus. I appreciated how the light highlighted each of their profiles from this vantage point, adding a sense of nostalgia that suited the image.”

She continues, “Then came patience; waiting for each person to be doing something with the popcorn simultaneously – with five kids, that is no easy feat! I observed my oldest son feeding his youngest brother and knew I wanted the anticipation of that moment to be a key element. I also wanted to highlight how differently each of my kids chose to handle their afternoon snack; hands hold such expressive power in photos. I made sure that no hands intersected with the face of the sibling next to them so these differences could stand out.”

The image is a nice reminder of the joy found in both documenting those special moments, and in putting the camera away to enjoy them even more. “When I got the shot, I put my camera away and went back to enjoying the moment in real time,” she says. “Sure, I could have tried a different composition, but it is equally important for me to document the moments as it is to live and appreciate them in real time."

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