The Sweet Life

This morning Abby, Ella and their Mommy and Daddy met me at the park for a fun summertime session. They (sad for me) moved far, far away a few months ago, and it was wonderful to see them again. Sweet Ella has been a client of mine since before she was born, and I’ve loved watching these two sisters grow and change.

The rainy/hazy part of this blog entry is due to the (care to guess?) weather this morning! It started to *RAIN*! This was a first for me, but troopers that they are, this little family kept right on going, and we were rewarded with some gorgeous images of these girls.

First, we caught a few roly-polys (and shared them):

Then, we practiced our weight lifting skills:

Both girls donned their tutus, and Ella enjoyed pretending to be a ballerina:

And finally, we crashed. Abby called it quits, and just laid down with “Lovey” for some quiet time.

Afterwards I came home to my bustling, hectic, crazy-happy house! Clients dropping by today to pick up prints have been rewarded with hearing my children scream at the top of their lungs (aka: Let’s-Make-the-Great-Dane-Chase-Us-and-Shatter-Glass-
With-Our-Screams Game), and much more. Way more than they expected, I’m sure. Chloe’s mom just had a long conversation with my daughter Sam and was not only shown the new pink dress we bought yesterday (for the session that I’m still working for with MY kids), Sam actually put it on for her…right in front of us. Nice! Here at Sugar Photography, we throw pretense out the window on Fridays and just let it all hang out!

Maybe we should start a Friday afternoon social/happy hour/print pick-up…hmmm…that might be an idea! It was so nice to sit and chat with the moms picking up their orders today. Little ones were allowed to run and play (with my children, of course), and littler ones were fed and soothed under the watchful (yet, naked) eyes of my daughter.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend with their families! Daddies-enjoy your special day!

Aidan and Beck were my playmates for the day-how lucky am I?

A little insider information: We’ve rescheduled this session no less than three times (and it may actually be four…it all ran together after a while). This weather! I am officially over the rain, and for someone that loves nothing more than waking to the sound of rain, or snuggling under the covers for a stolen afternoon in bed with my little ones as the thunder booms outside…this is a huge stance for me to take.

But I’m officially over it.

Sessions that are dependent on good light (like Aidan and Beck’s) keep getting dragged out, which makes the experience less fun and a tad stressful for the parents. And so, today, the weather finally cooperated, and we were able to meet and photograph these brothers.

Let’s just say that it was *so* worth the wait.

For the record, these sessions are nothing like your typical studio-based sessions. Not. At. All.

We roll around on the floor, we let the kids pull out their toys, we sit and chat about current events and what are you going to do about private vs. public school?…and all the while I snap a few here, and a few more there. I stay with my back to the window and just keep talking, and in return, your child will look up at me and that’s what I’m looking for-great big catchlights and direct eye contact…that is my happy place!

And the result?

Hopefully it’s completely different from anything you’ve had before. I’ve heard it described as organic. And true-to-life. And capturing your child’s spirit and personality. The focus is where it should be, on them.

Their eyes.

Their expressions. Their belly buttons.

And most of all, your family’s laughter.

Thank you Aidan and Beck! I had fun today, and you reminded me of why it sometimes so important to just sit back, take a breath, and wait for that sun to shine again.