This playdate was scheduled as a morning session which was quite a fortuitous thing since it was expected to hit 103 degrees that afternoon and even though we got started at 9 am it was already SWELTERING. Because of the heat, I decided against venturing around to different locations on the property and instead just stayed in one spot. There was very little shade and I was not about to put all of us out in the hot sun. The spot I picked was in shade facing a brightly lit parking lot area and provided beautiful light and the kids liked it so it worked out quite nicely.
The first set was little Delphine and her big brother Gabriel. I had already gotten solo shots of Gabriel when I did the big shoot for the IAD Dance Center that he (and my daughter) attends so we just did solo shots of Delphine and then sibling shots. The dynamic between Gabe and his little sister reminded me SO much of my two. Gabe is the sweet, tender, loving older brother (just like my Gavin) and Delphine is the feisty little sister (just like my Ellie). Watching them interact was just like watching my two. Super cute. I'm just totally smitten with sweet, gentle older brothers!
I love how kids are slightly apprehensive at first and then warm up fairly quickly. These shoots are super quick, just under 10 mn per child, so I have to get them comfortable in a very fast time frame. Fortunately it always works out. That said, I am able to accomplish so much more on my regular (and much longer) sessions because I have so much more time to just play and interact with the kids without any of us feeling rushed. I am lucky that the little ones I have photographed at all these mini sessions have all been so adorable! Here are just a couple favorites from each set.
those eyes!!
Gabe is such a little sweetheart, love him!
I know you can't see her smile under there but there's something about this shot that totally works for me :)
Then I got to take pictures of little miss Re'mi. She looks so much like her big sister whom I've photographed before but with a very different personality. I love how siblings can be soooooo different despite having the same DNA source and environment they are raised in. Speaks volumes in favor of the nature argument in "nature vs. nurture"! I love how you can see her two little bottom teeth in this next shot. OMG SO CUTE!
look at how blue her eyes are! wow!
Then we had Chloe, the little sister of the Cameron-Chloe duo! This age is just THE BEST age to photograph. Just sitting up on their own, not yet crawling away and generally very happy. I absolutely adore photographing babies this age. And look at this little bundle of joy, how could you not?!
the chunky thighs.... the chubby cheeks....sigh
this next one rocks my world!
Then we had big bro Cameron who was not *quite* as interested in the experience as his baby sister but had us all in stitches when he announced exactly HOW he'd like to pose thankyouverymuch. I was laughing so hard, mr. future gap model.
Cameron's "fake smile" here was CLASSIC. Don't worry Jen, this one doesn't count! But I had to include it because it made me laugh out loud.
And, last but not least, my man Mateo! This little guy has a firecracker personality and although he needed some time to warm up to the process, once he was warmed up he was ON FUEGO! :) Such a character that one.... reminds me a tad bit of his mother methinks...
I honestly could gobble up this child whole. LOVE.
ENJOY YOUR IMAGES! Thanks for the fun! :)
