Everyone, meet C! It’s his first birthday, and as you can tell, he’s quite excited about it!!! C was a total ham for the camera. I have never done a first birthday session for a child so quickly in my life. We set up, he started smiling, I snapped away, and then we moved on to the cake smashing fun! It was a great pleasure to be able to capture these moments for C’s family.

Happy Birthday little one!

Sometimes I have to step out of my comfort zone in order to ensure that the little ones are happy during a photo session. At this time of year, the best time to shoot is an hour before sunset, so around 7:30-8pm. That’s crazy in toddler-land! An older child would probably be alright, but kids under 4 tend to melt down around that time of day. As such, shooting in the bright morning sun can be quite a challenge! You have to face the proper direction, the kids need to somewhat cooperate, and you need to stick to the shadows to make sure you don’t have bright spots on your face that distract the portrait or make you squint. That said, it can create some stunning imagery. Bright and airy portraits are very nicely done in the morning hours! Plus with the humidity, you have a nice background haze that gives it an ethereal look.

I had the pleasure of photographing this family during the 2010 holiday season. I’m so glad that they came back for 2011 portraits to celebrate their daughter’s 3rd birthday! Our first session was sadly rained out, but I think it worked for the best. We tried in the morning, and we succeeded! I think these are the most natural smiles I have ever gotten from this age group. Letting kids play instead of forcing them into poses is always the best route. It may not be chain-studio-cheese-posing, but it will be more natural and capture them in the moment.

The Nelson household is preparing for the arrival of our second daughter, Anne. I took some time to squeeze in another short Spring session for my eldest daughter, Olivia, this past weekend. She’s grown so much and looking through all of the tiny newborn clothing really reminds me of how much she’s grown and changed over the past 2 years. The time just flies by way too fast for us parents!

I’m due very soon, so keep your eyes peeled for the first shots of Anne!

Sometimes little ones don’t like to do the cake smashes, because they can be really messy. This little guy did NOT like the texture of the icing. It is quite sticky and gooey, so I can sympathize! Thankfully, his father was a great trooper and got involved in the smashing of the cake, which made the little guy much happier to see he wasn’t the only one subjected to the portraits.

Happy birthday L!