If my memory serves me correctly, I was a first year student when Kim was a senior (to those of you who did not attend a women’s college…we never considered ourselves “freshmen,” because at the time…there were no men on campus – that has sense changed). I was shy…she was outgoing. In fact, I believe she was the Senior Class President and Miss Peace. She was everything I wanted to be one day.
I went on to be president of my own senior class, but I could never be as bubbly as Kim. She simply sparkles with personality.
That said, you can imagine how flattered I was to receive an email from Kim asking if I would be interested in photographing her family. To photograph them at our alma mater was just icing on the cake.
And that personality I spoke of…well it seems to have spilled over (ALL OVER) onto her daughters. Avery Anne and Ainsley kept me on my toes all afternoon.
AA is six years old, and probably getting close to losing a tooth or two. We wanted to be sure that we captured that beautiful smile long before any of those baby teeth started falling out. After our session was over, I gave her the green light to grow up as much as she’d like…at least as it pertains to her teeth.
Ainsley, also known as the “honey badger,” is two years old. I actually thought she’d be the one I’d end up bribing for a smile. Turns out, all I had to do was chase her around. Granted, this caused me to earn a toddler beating (you know what I’m talking about…with a leaf), but it was totally worth it.
And then there’s Joey (aka Dad). I met Joey at an HR conference…back when I was working in Corporate America. We quickly realized that we were connected through Kim and hit it off.
Most of our session was filled with laughter – that’s the way it should be…right? In between “poses” (and I use that term loosely), I found myself going native. If you’ve read this far, you’re going to laugh at me…but I’m reminded of Jane Goodall joining the monkeys as part of her research. In much the same way, I feel like when you’re photographing little humans that it’s more fun to join them. Makes for a lot of fun and giggly shots.
If you’re lucky, you’ll also get a big hug at the end of your session. I almost always get a hug. In fact, I live for those hugs!
Those hugs mean even more if at some point during the session, you get “the hand.” I think this was also the part of the session where I earned my leaf beating.
And for those of you inspired by the tradition of the white dress…this is for you.
Thanks again Kim and your family for making the drive to Raleigh. I had an absolute blast with you all and I hope I’ll have the opportunity to photograph you again soon. In the meantime, I have entirely too many awesome shots to process for you. I can’t wait for you to see them all.
Happy Friday!
