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Anthony's Cousin Luke
a week before he turns two, about to nod off for a nap
The other day's post about all of Anthony's cousins getting together for the first time started with a photo titled “Luke's Toes”. I really like it, but it's Luke's eyes that are most amazing. Like most toddlers, his eyes gaze around to whatever his mind is paying attention to at the moment (which is not, to a parent's consternation, generally what the parent wants him to pay attention to). But when Luke decides to fix his gaze on you, wow, what eyes. Arresting!
Today is Luke's birthday. Happy Birthday, little buddy!
The picture above is a fairly tight crop from a photo I took while he was in a small swing, being pushed by Grandma, coming back and forth toward and away from me. I snapped a bunch of pictures trying to get him in focus, and I succeeded in a couple, but it turns out that the first of the bunch was the best.
Here's the full frame:
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/100 sec, f/3.2, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Luke's Eyes, Full Frame
Frankly, I don't know what's more miraculous, that I was able to get his eyes almost perfectly in focus as he swung, or that I could get a toddler's attention for the full 1/100th-second duration of the shot. 🙂
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/250 sec, f/3.2, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos
Anthony, Grandma, and Luke
Lots of baby's have piercing eyes like this – Anthony's cousins Titi (4 months) and Jena (10 months) do as well – but it doesn't seem often that this quality lasts into the toddler stage.
It's sort of different, but I'm reminded of the arresting gaze of a friend's nine-year-old boy Nao, that I posted about a couple of years ago. In his case it's less about the eyes alone and more about.... something else, some “it” factor that includes the eyes. I don't know.
Anyway, it'll be interesting to revisit Luke and his eyes in the years to come to see (excuse the pun) how his gaze develops.