About Chris Marolf

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Chris Marolf, a photographer for 25 of his 40 years, used to primarily shoot street photography. But that changed a bit when he became a father three years ago. Suddenly, he became interested in portraiture -- though so far, his children have been the only subjects.

He said his pictures are not mere photo-album fluff, disdaining what he calls the "standard kid shot," such as the chocolate-smeared face. His goal is to produce work that is meaningful to others, despite featuring his own kin.

"I want to show children as real humans with real emotions," Marolf explained, adding that this winning photo is one of an ongoing series documenting his children's growth. Marolf is somewhat haunted by the fact that each moment of a child's development is fleeting. He wants to capture each stage with what he calls " a visual diary of how they grew up."

Marolf, a 15-year peninsula resident, believes he inherited photography from his own father, who always took shots of the family with cameras that fascinated his son. Though Marolf sometimes shoots in color, he chose black-and-white for this series because it lends itself better to indoor shooting. Also, he adds, it has a certain timeless quality.

--Avital Binshtock