Love Is Fuel For Adventure

We continually challenge our contributors by asking them “what makes a modern family”. My conversations and collaborations with contributor Thomas Barwick about family have evolved over the years but one thing remains constant ‑ the only ingredient you need to create a family is love, unconditional love.  He and his team have become experts at finding real people, full of nuance who are leading interesting lives – breaking the mold of what has been expected in commercial advertising.

For this single parent, his family is his adopted son and their Border Collie. Their life is one in which they adventure, make decisions and live on their own terms. In the world of single parenting, gender roles dissolve and the parent takes on the loving figure in all senses. With two people, this contemporary family structure becomes more like a partnership. The son is enabled with a sense of agency while endowed with a secure home and daily routine. Dad packs the camping gear and the child chooses the entertainment, in this case, four heavy books. The love this dad has for his son is so tangible that any labels: single, adopted or biological, fade from the conversation.

This shoot was planned as a day trip but as we all know the best‑laid plans always go awry. The weather had been great while packing and the skies were blue on the drive up. The crew leisurely stopped at some beautiful viewpoints and took their time on the scenic drive. By the time they got to the trailhead, they were expecting to see a vibrant sunset but instead, the clouds rolled in and the view they were walking towards became obscured. With hopes of salvaging their efforts and not getting drenched, Gabe and Ever chose a new campsite to set up the tent and got in as fast as possible. Everyone added a quick rain layer and continued to shoot. When the camera gear was soaked the crew asked the duo if they would stay the night or hike down. They responded “are you kidding me? We have four books and a cozy tent!”