The day I shot all Fathers

I recount my experience of photographing fathers and their little ones for UpsideLMS' Father's Day social media campaign.

My love for capturing beauty and freezing moments sees me armed with a camera at almost all times. I am one of those folk that doesn't think twice about soiling their knees (or elbows, or both) and giving in completely to the moment to take that perfect shot. So it's no surprise that I double up as a photographer for my company (UpsideLMS) too; not just looking for photography opportunities but creating some too.

For this Father's day, I birthed a beautiful idea - a campaign for UpsideLMS' social channels, showcasing all fathers in the team with their li'l ones. Hinged on the belief that each one us emulates and aspires to be like our dad (in ways more than one), the 'Like Father, Like Kid' campaign was conceived. A photo shoot was organized wherein all fathers were requested to match their dressing to their kid's/ kids'.

This was the day I shot all fathers. And their kids.

It's a day I won't forget for a long time to come, simply because it was so enriching to spend time with kids as young as 5 months and old as 15 years. In this seemingly wide spectrum, ran a common thread of innocence and sweeter-than-honey sweetness, that came to surface - one layer after another, as I spoke and joked with them. Some kids that were slow to open up in the beginning confided in me their deepest desires as time wore on. One little girl, on asking what qualities would she like to have in her if she could borrow from her father, said "Everything!", nonchalantly with a twinkle in her eyes. "My dad is my best friend", echoed throughout the room as almost all kids looked up to their fathers for advice, guidance, and masti (fun).

For the fathers too, while I have known these guys as my colleagues for a long time, I saw each one in a new light - not as a Technical Lead or an AVP or a Director, but as a dad. Having the kids with them added a new dimension of vulnerability and protectiveness, that only a father can have.

That day, I didn't shoot or photograph. I captured unadulterated love and friendship between a father and a child. No DSLR in the world could do justice to the beauty I witnessed. 

Below is the UpsideLMS Father's Day social media campaign as I had visualized in my mind only a hundred times better. 

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Pranjalee Lahri is a marketer, a mother, an obsessive compulsive decorator, an inbound and digital marketing loyalist with over 10 years of work experience, and a (m)Ad woman at heart. Her articles are musings on her journey; from being a kid with self-esteem issues to becoming the woman she is today. Her writing is a slice of life, with parallels drawn between her life as a mother and a marketer.

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