The littlest boy in this family is almost 3 years old, and will be getting his first haircut soon. So mom scheduled a family photo session to document her little boy with the long curly blonde hair. I let him be the star of the show, and took his lead, something I often do with young children at a photo session. I want them to feel comfortable playing, and I also want to capture their true personality. And in this session, there was plenty of play and personality!
I first photographed this family 2 years ago for Liam's first birthday. We created lovely images then, so I was excited when mom called to schedule a maternity session to freeze their time as a family of four, as they await the joy of a new baby. I could not believe how much these kiddos have grown! Especially Liam, who at 3 is such a great talker! We were able to capture some great moments of this family spending an evening together, enjoying each other in the beautiful evening light.
I was both excited and a little nervous when mom called me to schedule another photo session with me, this time for Beni's first birthday. You see, our first session together was amazing. One of my favorites ever! And when I'm going up against some of my own best work, that's a pretty high bar that I must at least meet or beat. But, I needn't have worried. This family gives me so much to capture! They are themselves in front of the camera, and those are some of my favorite moments to freeze.
I also think this may be my first session ever where I didn't deliver 'The Grandma Shot', you know, the one you think you want to give to Grandma, with everyone looking and smiling at the camera. And mom and I couldn't be happier with the results! Because at the end of the day, I have photographed their faces, but instead of looking at me, they're enjoying each other, and that series of images tells a story of this family.
I can’t believe it’s been 2 years since I did this family’s portraits. HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN? That question is one of the things I love about getting to do photography. I can freeze time. What’s your superpower?! These kids have grown, and were full of plenty of personality for their session. Of course, we took some posed portraits, but once those were out of the way, my goal was to let these kids be themselves and capture genuine moments. And with an abundance of childhood energy and fun, I had lots to work with!
