Deanna has a new last name, a new home, and a new plan for her future, so it makes sense that she wants new family portraits to mark the occasion. Deanna, Hannah, and Preston have been through a lot together in the last year, but you won't meet a happier, more loving trio anywhere.

One of the things Deanna and I talked about before the shoot was the fact that she specifically did not want traditional portraits. She didn't want the frozen smile and say cheese pictures, but rather images that really captured her kids' personalities, a task she worried would be tough. It's true, too... as children become more self-conscious in front of the camera, almost all of them tend to shy away altogether, strike a pose, or make over-the-top silly faces, so it can be tough to get natural expressions and smiles that reflect who they are when they're not putting on a show. That's something I'm pretty used to, though, and after a quick get-it-out-of-your-system mini-shoot with Preston...

...we were able to relax and have a good time together. Oh! And imagine that! I just happened to have my camera along with me :D

I am absolutely in LOVE with these images from the swingset!!! Swings can be fun, but they can also be tough, and we were working in tricky light... but man-oh-man would these look AMAZING blown up side by side on a wall!

And then there's this... expect to see this on the home page of my website soon! To me, this is the very definition of childhood summer. Perfect:

All too often, I hear people putting off having family portraits made... because they think their kids are at an awkward stage, missing too many teeth, acting ridiculous in front of the camera, etc... but that's what having kids is all about! They don't stay cute and little for long, but that doesn't mean they're not perfect and amazing in their own right. I love these pictures, and hope, Deanna, that you do too. I'll leave you with the very last pictures we took that day... and the only smile-and-say-cheese shots you'll get. Turns out, in the case of your beautiful family, those are pretty good, too!

xox,

annemie