This Just Isn’t Fair!

With another birthday just passed and his mom pregnant (with what he swears is a little sister), it was time for me to head to North Bend for our annual photo session.  Luckily, I will be returning in the summer to photograph the new addition when he/she arrives!  I absolutely adore working with this family, one, because they are simply wonderful, and two, because of this super cute little boy who is always filled with such imagination and personality.  It is this huge personality, that really keeps me on my toes. Aside from chasing his bursts of energy, I am always struggling to keep my laughter at the very “dramatic” things he says to a minimum because of the serious camera shake that occurs–he’s just that funny. I love arriving at this house because he is always so excited to see me and ready to take me on his adventures from pirate ships where a coat hanger is his hook, to Scooby Doo’s headless horseman (I think that was who he was when he was wearing the purple scarf on his head), to saving the world as Batman’s sidekick, Robin.  And then, about 10 minutes of camera-time later, he is sooo over me  I get it. There is this large black box, with a large, gun-like lens constantly being pointed at him, and he just wants to play. I can usually get a bit further than 10 minutes with this cutie, but on this day his flare for the dramatic was in full force. He would cry out “this just isn’t faaaaaiiiiir!” and throw his body onto the couch or sink to the carpet like his bones just turned to jelly…….break time! I am all about breaks for snacks and playing. 5 minutes here and there can do wonders for the mood of an unhappy child. Besides, if you try to make children sit still for too long or keep them too posed, you lose out on capturing the best of them.  I prefer to sacrifice the “perfect studio pose” for a real, joyful (or even tear-filled) moment.  Many of my favorite moments with this little guy came while he was playing, pouting, or saving the world, which is exactly what I love about working with kids: you never know what you are going to get.  More adventures to come in July. Enjoy!