By Lola Babalon

Kelly Radinsky is a charming mother of two, and a perfect example how doing something you love can be fun, profitable and meaningful all at the same time. Children grow and change so quickly and Radinsky has an amazing ability to capture the magic of these moments. Her portraits of children are done outdoors in natural light, the colors are stunning, her models completely relaxed and at ease.

Radinsky has a way of bringing out the best in them. Sometimes serious, sometimes playful, she captures their essence, whether it’s making mud pies in the yard, playing in a tub of water or splashing at the beach.

Surprisingly, Radinsky says her parents took very few pictures of her as a child. “Those few that I have, I covet.” That all changed when Radinsky reached adolescence. “I’ve been in the ‘business’ since I was 13 years old, not only modeling and acting in front of the camera for so many years, but also a make-up artist. I’ve always had a good sense for what looks right.“ She traces her own amateur interest in photography to young adulthood, when she took on the task of sorting photos and putting them in albums. From there, she became obsessed with documenting first her family and then those of friends and neighbors.

Radinsky eschews the high-tech lighting set-ups and prop-heavy gimickry of many of today’s photography studios. Instead, she takes her pictures in beautiful outdoor settings, with natural light, where the kids can be totally themselves, doing what they like to do. “I follow them around with the camera, photojournalistic style, as opposed to directing them,” she says. “That’s what the parents and the children really respond to. I capture the moments when they relax. The kids respond to my openness. And they have fun because I don’t make them pose.”

Radinsky talks to the parents beforehand to find out whether they have any particular shots in mind. But more often than not, the photograph the parents end up liking most is serendipitous, not what they were expecting when they came in.

“What the parents just love is that I capture their kids’ spirits,” says Radinsky. “Because in these two hours of following them around there is this huge spectrum of emotions, and I’m not trying to direct or manipulate it at all.

“After a while they go, ‘Look what I can do, and watch me do this.’ The kids relax because I don’t make them sit there and smile at me. I can see absolute beauty in somebody just recovering from a booboo. Or when a little girl is lost in thought, or picking up a rock or a roly-poly bug, staring at that. Whenever I try to do something that’s not me it just doesn’t feel right. I’m very aesthetically minded and prefer the children to be dressed in simple clothes and have very simple toys to play with. Keep it all simple so it’s their eyes we’re seeing, their face, and nature. I shoot them in parks, forests, picking wild flowers, at the beach. Just simple things in soft light.”

All of Kelly’s work is digital; she can take any color picture and make it black- and-white or sepia. Her husband helps with the technical aspects—he is good with the computer—so the two of them work as a team. Many of the black-and- white shots on her website started out in color, and most of the children featured there are locals.

Some of the shots just radiate with vibrant colors.

“Topanga has been keeping me very busy. There are so many beautiful children here, and so many beautiful settings. We were shooting up on the hillsides in the spring with the wildflowers. For me it’s a great way to get to know the people in the Canyon on an intimate level. My family has been here four years and for the first time I really feel connected to so many different people in the community. It’s because we share this common knowledge that their children are just exceptionally beautiful and fabulous.”

Unlike some child photographers, Radinsky does not specialize in any particular age range. Her clients have ranged from toddlers to early teens.

But Radinsky’s eyes sparkle when she describes some of her recent work with slightly older children. “I just shot a couple of teenage girls, that was so much fun. The teenage girl down the street wanted some headshots for her acting. But I also had some ideas and really wanted her with her instrument. Of course the very last shot worked out the best. She was so grateful because I allowed her to be herself. I realize I do that in some form with everybody. It’s what I do best, at least that’s the feedback I get from people.”

Radinsky also offers her clients more than just the photographs themselves. “I’ve been doing these coffee table books for people, they’re leather bound. This works really well for the photojournalistic style because it tells a story and shows a slice of their day. We always give a deal after people buy one, so they can afford to give them to the grandparents. I feel honored when I get to shoot these families and children, it’s like a deeper way of knowing them.”

Copyright 2006 Phoenix Rising