Nashville Family Photographer | A morning with the Norton Family
Quoting Chelsea's (mama) inquiry when she contacted me for photos: "just want some photos of our 2yr old who is wild and demanding (and adorable of course), but did not participate for her 1 year old photos or at her dad and I’s wedding this summer during pictures. She’s happy and fun but carefree still and want some photos capturing that before it’s too late"
I loved this inquiry for family photography. Let me tell you why. I see families spend weeks agonizing over wardrobe for their outdoor fall sunset photography session, followed by a day of making sure their kiddo is in the right mood for the session, to show up and photograph the child or children in outfits they don't normally wear in a place they normally do not spend time in, coercing them into cooperating to some degree, be it with candy or games, all while pretending to be so happy so that the photos come out okay. and in the end, years from now, mama will wish she had more of her everyday, less of the posed photography.
So here is this mama, wanting to capture her child and knowing that posed just isn't going to work. I seriously love these inquiries, because I know 100% of the time, I will be able to give them exactly what their heart desires.
I spent about 90 minutes with this family on a Saturday morning capturing their typical morning. They sat at the kid craft table and crafted - the 2 year old was ENAMORED about cutting paper for the first time ?- they made pancakes, ate together, snuggled and laughed and played.
When I arrived, Rhea was unsure about me. I could sense she didn't want me in her face. This is where having two degrees: Associate's in early childhood education and a BS in developmental psychology really comes in handy. I sense she may be a slow to warm up temperament so I knew to stay back and slowly ease in and keep aware of her feelings about the situation. Patience is super key in this situation. The more patient I am, the better the session will be - so its worth it. Because I respected her boundaries that were unspoken, it didn't take long for her to warm up to me. Had I just jumped into her space and started shooting, she would have withdrawn Im sure and it would have taken even longer to gain her trust.
For the first half of the session, I would say she didn't fully show me all of her joy and smile, but I knew it would come. We just needed chocolate chip pancakes ????
I hope to see this family in 2022! It was so much fun and I loved watching them interact like they normally do. And their miniature doggie was amazing!
xoxo
Jennie