Myra Klarman Photography families / seniors / headshots

Halloween 2012

 
Halloween 2012 | Dennis scootering off to take care of pressing business. Mr. Wilson’s white picket fence is ablur.
Dennis scootering off to take care of pressing business. Mr. Wilson’s white picket fence is ablur.

Max has not only become fixated on a TV show that debuted in 1959, but zealously promotes it to everyone within earshot. He’s enticed countless Ann Arbor grade-schoolers — and even a couple of Brooklynites [Iris and Nate, I’m talking to you!] — to join the cult of “Dennis the Menace.”

If you don’t already know, Dennis is a cute and sweet 6-ish year old who, though acting with the best of intentions, drives his parents out of their gourds (how does this map onto Max and his parents? you might ask). Dennis especially exasperates his neighbor, “Good ol’ Mr. Wilson,” who’s driven virtually to the point of nervous breakdown in each half-hour episode.

The essential iconography of Dennis is fairly simple: striped shirt, baggy overalls with a slingshot protruding out of the back pocket, Chuck Taylor hi-tops, and a thick mop of blonde hair with an unruly cowlick poking up in the back. Also, Dennis is not infrequently seen sporting Wild West cap pistols and a sheriff’s badge. (Max couldn’t put those pistols down! We managed to keep toy guns out of the house for 10 years; now Dennis the Menace has effectively repealed our family’s gun control policy. But perhaps this is just the inevitable result of allowing that lightsaber a few years back.)

Max approached trick-or-treating completely differently this year. Given his dark hair, Max needed a way to make his “character” clearly recognizable: He’d greet the neighbors with a shrieking “HELLO, MR. WILSON!!!” If the person manning the door looked puzzled or hesitated for just a second, Max would ask, “Do you know who I am?” and even make a point of showing them his slingshot. (He thought it was pretty hilarious when one person calmly replied, “Yes, Dennis.”) For him, accumulation of candy wasn’t the point of the evening; rather, he relished spending time interacting with folks at each home, in no apparent hurry — wow, what a punk!

Halloween 2012
Halloween 2012 | Perhaps thrown off by Max’s dark hair, several people guessed that he was Alfalfa, from the Little Rascals. (Hmm, maybe next year. I mean, we have the technology, right?)
Perhaps thrown off by Max’s dark hair, several people guessed that he was Alfalfa, from the Little Rascals. (Hmm, maybe next year. I mean, we have the technology, right?)
Halloween 2012 | There’s a new sheriff in town. (Isn’t he dreamy?)
There’s a new sheriff in town. (Isn’t he dreamy?)
Halloween 2012 | A new friend for Dennis to play with! This cat has his finger on the pulse of cool — high-water slacks, designer shirt (accessorized with pocket protector), unconcealed enthusiasm for America’s space program, and a Jerry Lewis–inspired approach to urban transportation.
A new friend for Dennis to play with! This cat has his finger on the pulse of cool — high-water slacks, designer shirt (accessorized with pocket protector), unconcealed enthusiasm for America’s space program, and a Jerry Lewis–inspired approach to urban transportation.
Halloween 2012 | Let’s see: assuming no wind resistance, this stone should trace a perfect parabola…
Let’s see: assuming no wind resistance, this stone should trace a perfect parabola…
Halloween 2012 | This is one of the only pictures I have where my boys look alike. You might almost suspect that they’re related or something. (For what it’s worth, they each share about 98% of their DNA with chimps. Which, I guess, explains a lot.)
This is one of the only pictures I have where my boys look alike. You might almost suspect that they’re related or something. (For what it’s worth, they each share about 98% of their DNA with chimps. Which, I guess, explains a lot.)
Halloween 2012 | The footwear of champions.
The footwear of champions.
Halloween 2012 | Wow, what a haul! | Open wide ’cause here comes a Peanut M&M.
Wow, what a haul! | Open wide ’cause here comes a Peanut M&M.

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Comments

What fun you capture in your photos, Myra! Max will so appreciate these when he is grown-up and his childhood is so well-documented!

#1 Michele Rivette

It really is looking like Alfalfa! Max grew up, remember the photos from Flickr still small!

#2 Raquel

I love the father-son sneakers!
Where are you Myra? Behind the camera, of course! Looks like so much fun!

#3 Nedra B.

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Photo of Myra Klarman
About Myra Klarman

I’m a professional photographer specializing in studio and lifestyle portraits of children, families, high school seniors, and performing artists. I live in Ann Arbor with my husband, Rich, and our 21-year-old son, Max. Learn more about my portrait and headshot services at Myra Klarman Photography.

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