Jackson Keane Smith will be arriving shortly.  Older siblings Emma and Will should have a new baby brother in just a few more weeks.  So to document their family before their newest member arrives, we did some family photos at Tyler and Angela’s house.  The last time I shot there was for Angela and Tyler’s wedding last May. Back then they had a number of engagement photos hanging on the walls – this time they had added loads of their wedding images.  It’s always a little thrill to see photos I’ve taken hanging on the walls.  I hope the next time I visit some of these will be hanging up! :)  Best of luck to them with their new arrival!

When you look through people’s family photo albums, what do you see?  Photos of kids.  Loads of them.  Kids opening presents.  Kids on vacation.  Kids sitting on a rock in front of a scenic view (that was always my parents’ favorite.)  Kids doing all sorts of things completely alone.  Where are their parents?!?

Well they’re behind the camera, of course – how else are you going to get enough photos of the kids, right?  What a bummer!  Many photos of my childhood are mysteriously missing my dad.  Of course he was there – he was just the only one who knew how to use the camera, so he rarely made it into the photos.  And now when I look back, my childhood looks vaguely dad-less.

Don’t let that happen to your kids!  Be present in some of the photos they will cherish later.  Just as you will want to remember what they looked like when they were kids, they will want to remember what you looked like when they were kids.  You aren’t the only one that will look back on your family portraits fondly.  The photos you take today will be your family history years down the line.

But how can you get photos with everyone in them?  Well that’s where I come in.  I can be on the sidelines taking great photos of your family, and no one will care that I’m not in them.  That’s one benefit of hiring a professional photographer for important events and weddings.  Take that concept over into everyday life and then you’ve really got something.  The result is photos of your family, looking like you and having fun – with no missing pieces.

I thought Stacy was going to deck a small child.  In all fairness, he was being a bit of a brat – running through the fountain splashing small children and even pushing some of them down.  Fortunately, Stacy is an even-tempered non-violent yoga teacher.  So all he got was a bit of a nasty look behind his back and a less-than-friendly smile to his face.  Crisis averted.

Despite being splashed a bit more than she’d like, 16-month-old Mika had a great time playing in the fountains with her parents Stacy and Tim.  She just kept filling up that little green bucket.  What she planned to do with the water once the bucket filled, I have no idea.  Maybe splash it on the little boy in retribution.  :)

Sometimes all it takes to get great family photos is a long walk around the neighborhood.

When I showed up at Kate and Sam’s house, 2 year old Ophelia insisted we take a walk around the neighborhood, in precisely the way she wanted.  She was fairly insistent.  So we walked around the block, in the directions she specified, playing the whole way.  The result was a very happy Ophelia – with her bright blue eyes shining – and some very cute photos.  When she had directed us back home, we ended the night jumping on the bed, which turned into a spirited tickle fight and a bit of goofing around.  So much fun.

How cute are Ophelia’s little pink Converse shoes?  I guess have a thing for little kid feet and shoes – they’re so adorable!  :)

Bubbles are awesome.  Since the last time I photographed him, one year old Noah has come to realize this.  He spent the evening pushing his bubbling lawn mower, chasing bubbles, and standing in awe of the bubbles his parents and older brother Jonathan blew in his direction.  Of course, bubbles are hard to resist, so the whole family was in on the bubble blowing (including a small bubble war between Kevin and Sarah.)

When the bubbles ran out there were many other toys and games to keep everyone occupied and Noah smiling.  And of course a we did a few posed shots to document the family (just a few.)  All in all it was pretty adorable – a Wednesday evening in the park well spent.