"i'm so impressed they actually turned out..."
Let's just state the obvious: Photographing anything when there's a two year old involved never works out the way you plan. Good luck getting a child this age to sit still, pose in any sort of way, or smile when you want them to! It's a crazy hour of chasing, making goofy faces and noises to get their attention, and essentially turning "play time" into "picture time." That's part of what makes these sessions so much fun!
When my sister spilled the beans on welcoming another Mitchell into the family, I knew we had to do a little mommy and me maternity sesh. I had specific pictures in mind: flowing, radiant, calming-of-the-soul pictures. When one thing after another started going wrong, we pushed through with low expectations for the outcome, halfway expecting a reshoot in the near future.
It all started with the location. I had picked out a beautiful field of tall green grass nestled among trees. The afternoon light always seems to hit just right at this spot, and I could imagine the perfect serene photos that would emerge from it. Morning of the shoot? I drove by to find it cut short and brown, dead grass left in the once lush field. I started racking my brain and made some phone calls. There had to be somewhere. Turned out there was a spot even better! A friend offered to ask her neighbor if we could use his field of buttercups, and OMG it couldn't have been more perfect.
As we walked through the field, Alizah was excited to be in the open air and that meant exploring! By the end of the session she had picked more flowers than imaginable, escaped under the fence twice, dug into an ant pile, and stepped in cow manure. Just a TAD chaotic, LOL! When we finally loaded back up into the car, my sister (and admittedly, myself) were feeling a little unsure about the shoot. I knew I had captured some beautiful moments, but would I be able to deliver a full gallery? I was fairly confident, but doubt was creeping in.
After arriving home and seeing exactly what we got, I excitedly texted my sister some sneak peeks. "I'm so impressed they actually turned out!" was her response, and I get it! Between running away, hiding from the camera, a little bit of screaming, a little bit of crying, and getting covered in cow poop, I wasn't entirely sure of the outcome, myself!
But listen, y'all. Two things I've learned over and over again when photographing kids: 1) Wear comfy clothes you can sweat in,
and 2) Take more pictures than you think you need. With those two things tackled, I'm really not sure why I was worried at all! This gallery literally makes my heart sing!
I still can't get over how perfect the colors mesh together! The red on yellow with the blue sky, oh my!!
Chasing and corralling a toddler for 45 minutes is hectic, sure, but these photos remind me why I love being a photographer. Capturing the oh-so-easily-missed moments and freezing them in time is incredibly rewarding, and delivering galleries that will be cherished for years and years is something I just can't get enough of!
