Bound and Determined: Brooklyn at 18 Months

I was bound and determined to capture a smile from my sweet niece.  She was bound and determined to make me work for it!

As Molly would say (sign) with her hands up in the air, "Aww-done."

Was it frustrating?  Yes.  Have I been there with my kids?  Yes and Yes, but in an overcrowded studio setting which is way more stressful.  And do I love these photos?  Yes :)  I was reminded of our own Easter pics as I uploaded them.  It's real life.  Sometimes they're the boss and you have to know when to say when (it was probably some time before those last few were taken!)

I finally worked out a smile just an hour before their departure back to Georgia.  I found her in the comfort of my parents' backyard, playing in a plastic baby pool with circa 1970s Tupperware.  This is why so many natural light photographers whom I admire come to the client.  No studio lights, no fussy clothes, no cheesy props.  Just children being children in their own little worlds.

(thinkin' about it!...)

woo hoo!

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And a few other snapshots from our long weekend together...  

Just a couple from the zoo, where I quickly learned shooting in manual can be a challenge when moving in and out of exhibits with ever-changing light. And unless you're lightning quick at narrowing the aperture while maintaining a decent shutter speed, it's tough to lock focus on both your family in the foreground and the zoo residents in the background in the same shot.  Doable with some practice, yes, but with strollers to push, snacks to dole out, and kids to hold, it became a hassle... and since we were kinda sweaty and gross anyways, not really worth the effort :)  So I kept the aperture wide and exaggerated a couple shots to at least make the bokeh look purposeful!

Lola's birthday

In the last couple weeks, Molly has mastered both her "cheese" and Gene Simmons faces. Daddy's little girl.

A couple other outtakes from the park:  The classic SOOC (straight out of the camera) shot with mom and dad spotting, 3rd child running out of the frame, a bit crooked, etc.  Normally I would crop and straighten it out but I like the story this tells better :)

  And this face-smushing LOVE shows how much we miss her already!