I spend a lot of time with little kids. Well, like 24/7 with my own littles, to be honest. But then I end up doing a lot of newborn photography, and lots of the families I photograph have young children, as well.
And I love it.
I can be totally myself with little kids, and they love me anyway. I can be super goofy, make weird faces, whatever. And they just smile. And laugh. (Maybe they are laughing AT me, but either way… they laugh!)
But every now and then, I get the opportunity to do family portraits for a family with older children. And I really love that, too. In fact, I’m always so surprised by how quickly we get through a bunch of poses, because when I do a fine art portrait session with little ones, it tends to take waaayyy longer to coax them into place, make them laugh AND look in the right direction… you get the feeling.
So this family. One of my favorites. I met Peyton when her mom called me about getting her started in piano lessons (yes, I teach piano on the side, too!). She has been one of my hardest-working students, and excels at everything she puts her hand to. She has some amazing support from both her parents, and I was privileged to work with her for several years at the piano. Alas, all good things come to an end, and I no longer have that privilege as they have moved onto their next phase of life in another state.
But before they moved, just a few weeks after I gave birth to my second little guy, we squeezed in a family portrait session. It was hotter than hot that day, but these guys were totally troopers and didn’t complain a bit. I, on the other hand, nearly dropped from heat exhaustion. Not kidding.
But we got some amazing family pictures in beautiful Wilmington, NC, and it was great to send them off in this way! Miss you, Peyton and family!
Nicole is a family lifestyle photographer in Wilmington, NC. She specializes in lifestyle newborn and family photography and has a flair for capturing those beautiful, REAL moments with children and their parents.