Celebrating the American Dream

When you believe in a dream with all your heart great things are bound to come to life. There may be bumps along the way, but if you are persistent, your hard work will be recognized and pay off.

There were times when I wanted to stop working on this project, especially right before the book went to press. Today, however, I am happier than I've been in ages and excited about the possibilities to have a profound impact on a child's life through this project. 

The images below show some of the people who care about the message of this project and believe in it enough to help spread the word and empower children all over America.

Today, we are asking you to come and join us in helping to inspire the next generation. Whether you have children or not we need your support. You can do so my going to this link and joining the Kickstarter group that believe in the American Dream

Caption: Soul Food sisters at the Kickstarter launch party for FUTURE AMERICAN DREAM. Photograph by Ronald Pollard.

Caption: Actresses Nicole Ari Parker and Angela Bassett co-host the Kickstarter launch of FUTURE AMERICAN DREAM. Photographs by Ronald Pollard.

Caption: Host for the Kickstarter Launch Party, Dr. Pearl E. Grimes, Nicole Ari Parker, Felicia D. Henderson and Angela Bassett. Photograph by Rnoald Pollard

Caption: Oregon subject McKenna from Future American President with her father at the Kickstarter launch event for FUTURE AMERICAN DREAM. Photograph by Ronald Pollard.

Caption: Mike Freeze, Linda, 

Podcast host Marquetta Breslin and actress Angela Bassett at the Kickstarter launch party for FUTURE AMERICAN DREAM. Photograph by Ronald Pollard.

Caption: Boris Kodjoe, Nicole Ari Parker, Maki Sekine and Matthew Jordan Smith at the Kickstarter release party for FUTURE AMERICAN DREAM. Photographs by Ronald Pollard.

Caption: Actress Melissa De Sousa and Boris Kodjoe at the Kickstarter launch party for FUTURE AMERICAN DREAM. Photographs by Ron Pollard.

Caption: Make Sekine and Jessica JJ Rabone at the Kickstarter launch of FUTURE AMERICAN DREAM. Photographs by Ronald Pollard.

Caption: Photographer Matthew Jordan Smith and actor Courtney B. Vance speaking at the Kickstarter launch party for FUTURE AMERICAN DREAM. Photographs by Ron Pollard.

Caption: Photographer Matthew Jordan Smith and TV producer Gordon Recht speaking at the Kickstarter launch event for FUTURE AMERICAN DREAM.Photographs by Ronald Rollard

Caption: Guest Maithy at the Kickstarter launch party for FUTURE AMERICAN DREAM. Photograph by Ron Pollard.

Caption: Kids of Future American President at the Kickstarter launch party for FUTURE AMERICAN DREAM. Photographs by Ronald Pollard.

Caption: Darryl Havens and friend at the Kickstarter launch party for FUTURE AMERICAN DREAM. Photographs by Ronald Pollard.

Caption: The Kickstarter launch party for FUTURE AMERICAN DREAM. Photographs by Ronald Pollard. 

Caption: Photograph by George DeLoache

Caption: Matthew Jordan Smith, Gordon Recht and Chaz Guest at the Kickstarter launch party for FUTURE AMERICAN DREAM. Photograph by George DeLoache

Caption: Future American President covergirl Sky with sister Raine and mother, Ami Torres. Photograph by George DeLoache

Caption: celebrating the Kickstarter launch of FUTURE AMERICAN DREAM. Photograph by George DeLoache

New Hampshire - First Presidential Primary

Making a lasting impression on a child isn't easy, but it is part of what I hope Future American President does for the children in this book. 

During the second year of shooting Future American President, I had the idea of signing each of the poster boards and giving them to each child as a memento from the shoot.  Seeing how each child reacted to me signing the boards was great and I hopefully it will give them great memories in the future. 

This location was the perfect spot to photograph a future president and maybe one of these children will make their way back here for their first presidentail primary. 

Behind The Scenes in Connecticut

I really enjoyed working with this family in Connecticut. The parents both work in the medical field and the father is Puerto Rican and the mother Sri Lanken. The children, who were born in Connecticut, speak English, Spanish and Tamil. 

I asked the older daughter if she could write a statement describing what she'd do as the future president. She said, "YES!" and then told me she can write in Spanish and English. It made everyone laugh, but then as I watched how focused she became as she wrote her statements and I knew this little girl has the ability to be anything she wants to be in life. Having these moments during the making of this book made it worthwhile.

Always Dream Big

Future World Photo Tips

Have you ever watched a child look at a photograph of themselves? We've all witnessed people looking at the back of a camera or admiring a selfie after their photo has been taken, but for a child this is a deeper moment. When children look at their pictures, they are shaping how they see themselves. This is why it's important for children to see positive images of themselves and their peers. There used to be an old commercial for Sprite that said, "Image is everything," but really, self-image is everything.

I met a second family in historic Gettysburg while traveling in Pennsylvania for Future American President and asked them to be a part of the book project. As I photographed the children the younger daughter wanted to see her pictures from the back of my camera. She was too young to really understand what has going on and why this stranger was photographing her, but she knew her image was inside the black box I held in my hands, and she was excited to see them.

 This week, take the time to photograph a child that's close to you. Maybe it's your own children getting ready to enjoy summer vacation, or maybe it's a sibling, niece or nephew. As you photograph them, step back and take a moment to let them be themselves. Make these images your wide view. Your wide view photographs will show not only your subject, but all the elements around them. That modern day car or smartphone will be old relic's fifty years from now and add context to your images. Next, move in and capture the essence of your subjects. This is your mid-range shot that makes them the focus of your image, not just a part of the image like in your wide shot. Lastly, move in close and take pictures of just their face. Big faces of kids are adorable and young children usually have a lot of fun taking pictures with the camera very close to their face. Above all have fun and remember the powerful effect a great image can have on a child.

Always Dream Big

Photographed for Future American President