Lelani, Owen, and 3 one-year olds

Let's talk about kids.

Since last year, my portrait business has more than doubled so, needless to say, I see a LOT of kids. The best sessions are the ones where the parents allow the kids to be themselves, to be in whatever state they are in, and just let me hang out with them. The sessions where parents are frustratingly trying to get their children to "smile!!" and "look here!!!" end up often being tense and stressful. Kids are so inherently REAL and so naturally expressive- they don't try to be anything other than themselves- which is why it's so refreshing to photograph them.

The photos below all have a story behind them.

Little Miss Lelani is the daughter of Zuleika- a gorgeous lady whose maternity photos I shot a couple years back. When Lelani turned two earlier this year, Zuleika contacted me for a session so we scheduled one at the beginning of March. That day, Lelani was tired and grumpy and IN NO MOOD to have her photos taken. I mean, as I have already said, I am all for documenting children in their natural state but Lelani was tired and miserable that day. She basically glared at me for an hour before we all decided to wait for a sunny day and try again.
Well, we rescheduled approximately 5 more times because that's how long it took before we had sun. Over 4 months later, we finally landed on a beautiful day and, boy, it was worth the wait. Although she was slightly wary at first, Lelani was so sweet and so excited to have her picture taken. After a few minutes, she danced and pranced, she played and smiled, and at the end of the shoot, she gave me a big hug and a kiss.







I first photographed Owen as a newborn, (well actually, I first photographed Owen as a bump in his mom's belly but that's another story.) During Owen's newborn shoot, he went through every state that a newborn goes through- teary, hungry, sleepy, grouchy and, finally, completely exhausted. Since newborns are so, well, NEW, I had no idea what to expect when I saw Owen at his one-year session. Well, was I in for a treat!! Owen is the most smiley, happy, delightful and excited little guy! He is so funny and such a ham in front of the camera. I am always shocked to see how developed a child's personality is, even as a baby.
Check out this cutie...







And, finally, my former client, Miya, asked me to do a one-year session for her adorable daughter, Kayana and two of her little friends who are the same age.
It shouldn't be any surprise that photographing three babies at the same time is no small feat. But, I clicked away and all the tears, drool, and cracker crumbs led to some fun and hilarious photos.
How cute are these three????