At the end of last month, I had the opportunity to visit with some long-time friends that I have not seen in several years, and in the process we did some fun family photos. This group of fun-loving people decided to go with a fantasy medieval theme for their session, and it was a ton of fun!
We photographed their group at a local "castle" that is often used for events, including weddings. In fact, I photographed the wedding of this particular couple many years ago, one of my first-ever paid weddings, and they held a reception at this very location. They even got engaged here!
And now their family has grown and they have the cutest kids ever!
The three boys all have distinct personalities, and have no trouble showing it!
"I am Lord of the Rock!"
And this baby girl has got to be the cutest little fairy princess I have ever seen!
She even started casting spells at everyone with her sparkly wand!
From their very first engagement shoot together, we did a photo of the two of them laying in the grass together, shot from above. We replicated the shot just after they had their first child. In keeping with that tradition, we included all six of them in a circle at that same spot!
It's nice to have personal traditions like this. What a great way to show the passage of time.
Inevitably, during any family session with young children, some of the children will get tired of the process. This is especially true with young boys.
So, you know how you get boys to want to keep taking photos?
You give them a couple of sticks, and tell them to have a sword fight!
All of a sudden, it was "Hey, take this picture!" and "Look over here at what we're doing!" And the moments were too fun.
And of course, you have to have your daddy/daughter moment!
But I think my favorite shot of all was this one, where Mom and Dad smooched while the boys all closed their eyes -- "Eeeew, Mommy and Daddy are kissing!" -- and the girl looking up in delight and fascination!
Priceless. Absolutely priceless.
Here's to many more years of family fun and joy!