*Just a reminder that I don’t show whole-family photos between now and Christmas because I know many plan to use those for gifts or holiday cards.*

We had the MOST gorgeous light tonight for our shoot. It really was perfection! I’ve known this family for probably close to 8 years and was so excited to get to photograph them for the first time. Little sister Rachel brought along her beloved baby doll for a little snuggle. Big sister Meredith was the queen of posing! This came as no surprise to any of us, as she loves to dance and perform.  I am totally in love with their session and have a feeling you will be, too!

This session was such a dream yesterday! These girls were really excited about getting their photos taken. Their mama said that they had been talking about it this week leading up to the session. That is actually something I HIGHLY recommend to all clients. From my experience as a teacher, photographer, and mama, I’ve learned that kiddos respond to situations better when they know what to expect. If you tell them on the way to the session, “Oh, by the way, we’re going to go take some photos,” you’re much more likely to get push back. This is true with most ages (with the exception of the littlest ones). Talk up our session! Tell them my name and that I have two kids and two cats. Tell them that we are going to be silly and snuggle and have fun together. Maybe get them to think of something they might want to tell me. For example, I always brainstorm with my older son something that he might want to tell the pediatrician at his appointment (like about a birthday party or his favorite toy). I want him to feel connected to his doctor and to trust him. Likewise, I want your kids to feel connected to me. It can make a HUGE difference. Trust me, I know every kid is different (I was a 4th grade teacher, after all) and that each kid responds to an unfamiliar person and an unfamiliar situation differently. Anything we can do to line up things to more likely work in our favor is definitely worth pursing.

Along the same lines, I had a session following the Hungates’ with a 20 month old. That mom mentioned that she had bought new boots for her daughter to wear. In order to ensure success, she had her daughter try on the shoes several days before our session so they wouldn’t be a distraction. A little bit of planning like this can go a long way.

*Just a reminder that I don’t show whole-family photos between now and Christmas because I know many plan to use those for gifts or holiday cards.*

I’ve known this mama and her kiddos for a few years because she used teach the moms-and-babies exercise class I went to!  This was the first time for me to have them in front of my camera, which was fun.  These boys were BUSY, which is not surprising for 3 and 6 year olds!  It definitely gave me a glimpse into my near future.  (One of my boys just turned 2 and the other will be turning 5 very soon.)  They definitely kept me on my toes, and I had to pull out lots of different tricks.  It was so great to see them, and we had the most beautiful weather!