I had the most awesome photo shoot last night with the sweetest little family!
Have I mentioned how much I LOVE working with little kids! They are so innocent and they wear their hearts on their sleeves, which makes it easy to capture all kinds of emotions. I used to think toddlers were the toughest age to photograph because they were so fast and couldn’t follow directions very well, but now they are my favorites! I’ve learned to follow their lead and I love to see what kind of funny things they will do next.
I know photo shoots can be stressful for parents because they want their children to behave perfectly, but in my experiences of photographing children over the past couple of years, I’ve discovered that it’s actually the parents behavior that makes all the difference, NOT the kids’. What I mean by that is this: If a parent comes to the session feeling tense, the kids pick up on that instantly and react to it. But if a parent comes to a session completely relaxed, the kids respond accordingly. Kids know when they are being expected to perform and they don’t like it. I always get much better images when the kids are allowed to just be themselves because their smiles are more genuine. I also firmly believe that the more fun you have during a session, the more you will appreciate the photos because they will spark happy memories that you had that day, which is really the whole point of photographs in the first place isn’t it?
Anyway, when I talked to this mom on the phone the other day to make final arrangements for the session, and she mentioned that they would be wearing turquoise and brown, I knew right away that we were going to get along great! And when I met them in person, I liked them even more! I have never seen a dad get into a photo shoot as much as this one did. He was coming up with all kinds of fun shots and he acted like a goofball at all the right times to help me get his little girl to smile for the camera. Both of the parents were relaxed, yet energetic, and ready for anything! There were times when they seemed to forget I was even there, which was awesome! It was as though they were out enjoying a nice evening together and I just happened to be there to capture the fun. They skipped rocks by the river bed, tossed fallen leaves into the air, read books, chased bubbles, and gave each other butterfly kisses. It was about as perfect of a session as you could ask for.
Okay, enough rambling…let’s get to the photos! I seriously took more pictures at this session than any other toddler session I’ve ever done, so I’m having a hard time choosing which ones to post! Here are some of my absolute favorites:
I’ve never seen anyone get so excited about bubbles before. She was just too cute about it…
If you look close, you can see the bubble she’s watching.
Tiny cheerleader!
Thanks for the fun session “K” and “S”! Can’t wait to do it again sometime!
Location: Clear Brook - Owasso
