I take photos of my granddaughters when they’re at my house on Thursdays. Many are not good, for various reasons. Some are mediocre, a few are valuable for documentary reasons, and, very occasionally, one is special.

Like this portrait of Eva. I took it with my 28mm fixed-lens camera, when I was seated just across the dining room table from her. She’s very animated and talks a lot, so many candid photos of her show her talking, gesturing or making a face to express something. But in this one, just a snapshot, her expression is neutral. The light on her comes from a large picture window behind me. I did a little processing, to emphasize that it’s a beauty portrait, and made prints for several people.

For me, portraits like this don’t come along very often. You have to take a lot of shots, and throw a lot away, before the pose, light, expression and framing all come together.