Extended Family Portraits

Two sisters hired me recently to do a photo session as a Mother's Day gift to their mom. Between the two sisters, there are five grandchildren and like any grandparent I know, she and grandpa love photos of their grandkids. And like any busy family that I know, it is near impossible to get any good shots on your own while also taking care of your kids. Planning an afternoon with a professional photographer is a great way to document the family. In fact, I see some families once or twice a year to update photos and preserve that time in their lives.

I photographed the youngest first, thinking it would take the longest. Nope. She was an angel as you can see here.



I like this angle for little ones. I think it accentuates their delicate little features.



A "cooler" pose for big sis. Shooting at a low angle gives the feeling you're in the grass and adds a nice texture to the image.



Cousins were next. I switched up the background to add some variety.



Her sister's eyes were mesmerizing. She knew the exact spot to look at the lens.



The only boy in the family and the longest eyelashes. Why is it always like that?!?!





"Avoid flare" is a rule I have fun breaking sometimes.



A group shot of each family. Traditional with a twist.





The WHOLE family.



Above shot would not be possible without these two special people.



And the shot that I hope will show up in all of their wedding videos one day. ;-)



Thank you for inviting me to your home and spending the afternoon with me!

Two Newborn Miracles

Diane and Leo contacted me to photograph their twins, Ella and Nicolas. While it is always very flattering and a pleasure to photograph newborns, I could have shot pictures of these two little ones for days. Probably the best behaved babies I've ever photographed, although poor Diane and Leo say this is not the case at night. ;-) Anyway, all this is to say that I once again have way too many photos to post, but I just can't help myself. Ella and Nicolas are beautiful miracles.

The thing that struck me most about Ella and Nicolas is they were most comfortable when together. At three weeks old, they still position themselves as if they are in the womb. Amazing.



I love how Nicolas is snuggling into Ella here.







Ella and Nicolas' have very different personalities, which can be seen here.





Two little heads.



Twins also deserve individual portraits.













Precious.







Perfection.
'



When photographing newborns, I think it's so important to show how truly tiny they are by showing a small object next to them. Wedding rings are always a fav.




...or highlighting another piece of jewelry (in this case, Diane's mom's pin)....




or just placing their little heads in your hands.





Of course, pictures with mom and dad are a must. An aspect I really try to capture is the emotion of the parent. There are and will be tons of photos of the babies (rightly so!). However, when Ella and Nicolas get older, it will also be nice for them to see the joy in their parents' eyes and the tenderness of their touch.







Whispers of "I love you".



Already bonding with dad..

















Family time.














Diane, Leo, Ella and Nicolas - thank you for inviting me to document such a tender part of your lives. Congrats to all of you!