From the second I read the inquiry form from this family for a home session with their four year old and triplet 2 year olds, I thought – “oh my gosh I have to work with them.” The parents approached the whole thing with a desire to capture the beautiful but wild reality of their season, and it was so endearing.
When people reach out with vulnerability, a sense of humor, and candor about their lives from the get-go, it’s immediately exciting as an artist because it tells me that they already feel a connection with me and my work.
It tells me that we’ll click. And when we click, we can make work that feels the most honest and beautiful.
When sharing about their family, they wrote the best description I think I’ve ever gotten:
“The 4.5 year old is named ***. He’s “really into raptors” (birds of prey) and climbing trees. He’s a hoot. He’s a very sweet boy as long as he’s napped and his belly is full.
Then we have two identical girls and a little redheaded boy. We aren’t sure where he came from.
His name is ***, and we love him. He’s a goober with a huge smile and an unhealthy obsession with ga-ga-culls (bicycles). He’s laid back and unbothered by most things; if he has a wheel, he’s happy.
*** is middle baby in temperament and maybe birth order too? She’s fun, slightly wild, and always up for mischief. I think she and *** are going to get into trouble as she gets older.
*** is sweet, caring, and always worried about you. Unless you’re another small person and she’s mad — then she’ll bite you and rip at your hair. We’ve all got something we can do better, and she’s no exception.
All together they make our life chaotic and loud. We trip over them in the kitchen, they throw food on the floor at dinner while staring me straight in the eye. When all four are in bed, we take a deeeeeeep breath. And then we hold it until we’re sure the big one is sleeping.
At that point we exhale and try to hug each other. We’ve been married for 11 years. We like each other a lot. We used to travel, but now we mostly yearn for a night away somewhere close.
It’s a lot but it’s the only way we know how to live. We get a kick out of these little monsters.
We’re hoping you can help capture this uniquely chaotic period of life. And if there’s love in the pictures too – even better.”
The power of honesty
Getting to know a family’s unique traits like this helps me look for them and capture them throughout the shoot. It also helps me honor them instead of trying to redirect or change any behavior that seems in line with their personality.
It’s part of the whole magic of what we’re looking to capture and I love when parents appreciate and want that, too.
The heart of it all
We stepped around fake cobwebs and skeletons adorning the porch for their early fall session to make the outdoor photos in this set. I remember the dad sharing the sweetest reflection with me at the end as we were watching their oldest climb his favorite tree in the yard.
He said something about how it’s really fun only about 40% of the time, and the rest is really really hard.
But also, he knew that all the good they did in that 40% was going to be worth it in a few years when the percentage went way up.
If that isn’t the most relatable answer about parenting, I don’t know what is.
Enjoy some favorites from this home session with a family of six that’s simply bursting with love.
If your heart is exploding after looking through these images and you’re wanting a piece of this kind of reflecting for your own parenting and family story, reach out here. I would love to honor the wild, silly, tender, and true parts that make up you and your people in whatever season you’re in.
Let’s connect.
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An urban in-home session (with backyard oobleck)
