r family ~ family session garden-style

I would say most of my sessions involve little kids and I LOVE those sessions. But sometimes it is fun to mix it up with some older kids. The kids in this family were old enough that I could get some really awesome portraits of them but also young enough that I could still ask their parents to tickle them. A win-win! Another bonus was that they were excited about the pictures and were even asking me if we could “check that out over there?” and “can we take some pictures in front of that?” I go into every session with ideas in my head of places I want to pose the family, spots that usually get great light, etc., but when one of the family members has a suggestion (especially if it is one of the kids), I try to go with it because they see things from a very different viewpoint than I do and can come up with some super creative stuff.

A very funny moment of the session was when I was trying to get some shots of the kids by themselves so I asked the parents to stand behind me and get the kids to laugh. I don’t think I am able to disclose what actually got the little girl to lose it, but let’s just say that the parents got silly. Then, a few minutes later when I was taking pictures of just the parents together, the kids took it upon themselves to do the same silly move behind me to try and get their parents back. I loved it! (Yes, I did swing around and grab a picture of the kids quickly.) Another highlight and one of my favorite pictures was towards the end of the session. In the garden, there are these huge clay pots and the girl was very interested in what was inside. Her parents scooped her up and pretended to throw her in. Classic! Maybe that picture won’t be on the Christmas card or make it to the frame on the wall, but I hope that, if nothing else, it makes them laugh.