Little Friends.

~

I love photographing young children. They are inquisitive, playful, and at ease with just being themselves. All of these qualities make for the right recipe for an excellent photo session. As much as I enjoy photographing children, I love photographing children who I know well even more. Because I can see their real personalities through the lens, and try to pull some of their little quirks out while I am shooting. I hope I’ve done that here.

Meet Samantha. Eleven years old, adorable, and someone who loves life. A diligent sister, a farm-girl at heart. I remember when this girl was born.  I remember when she started saying her first babbling baby words, and when she started crawling, then walking. I remember when she lived right down the road from us in an cute, tiny white house. I remember her first day of school, and little day trips we’d all take together. And now I am watching her come into her own as she continually grows and matures into a sweet young woman. And it makes me a touch sad, with a whole dose of happiness for the conscientious, hard-worker she’s become.  I know you’re growing up, Sam, but in my eyes, you’ll always be that little blond baby girl who has been a great friend to our children.

Meet Elsa. Sweetly freckled, brown-eyed, and inquisitive.  Already quickly approaching double-digits, Elsa is always watching. Whenever we’re with her, I watch as she observes the other children, then joins in. When she has a conversation with adults, she makes eye contact, and sometimes seems to have the perception of a much older person, with a quietness of observation about her. She’s soft-hearted, knows what she wants, and tries to get it with persistence. She’s a lover of animals, a picker of sweet corn, a jumper of trampolines, and a girl who loves to be loved. Elsa, you’re a sweet little girl, too quickly turning into a young woman. 

Meet Lois. A touch shy, a little quiet, and a dearest friend to Nory. An expert giggler, a wheat-haired, blueberry-eyed cutie-pie. She’s kind, and easy-going, and doesn’t require a lot of extra attention. She quietly lives amongst the family’s activity in contentment.  She’s a lot fun to take along on vacations, loves Cape Cod, and loves to go camping. She likes running around with her dog, Sonny, and swinging on her backyard playset. She helps with chores, and generally just smiles that adorable, cheeky smile throughout the whole day. Lois, don’t lose that gentle little heart, okay?

Meet Owen. He’s vivacious, and fun-loving, an asker of questions, and a lover of anything that moves on wheels. He’s active, and a little whirlwind of laughter. He’s all-boy, a little farmer and helper to Dad, and he sometimes tires his mother out. But he’s a big brother like no other, and it’s obvious he loves his little Tucker. A lot. He moves quickly, and efficiently, and is bound to do big, happy things with the energy he possesses. For now, he works to harness his energy until that day comes.  Owen, you make people smile so often with your little quirks.  Which is a wonderful quality to have, to bring people to happy laughter. (Just ask your Mom.  She loves it when your Dad makes her laugh.)

Meet Madison. Which sounds funny to me, because we always call her Maddie. A girly-girl, a giggler, and another brown-eyed little squirt. She loves to twirl and jump, and wear pink as often as possible. She’s got this voice that’s distinct, and you can’t help but grin when she looks up at you, tilts her blond head, and asks you a question. She loves to be motherly to Tucker, whether he really wants it or not. It’s evident that she likes to be busy, and wants to be able to do all the big-kid things. She’s a swimmer, a barefooted little bike-rider, loved by her siblings, starting to grow out of toddlerhood, but still a little girl. Maddie, keep smiling that little grin, ‘cuz it’s cute when your big brown eyes crinkle.

Then there’s little Tucker. Tuck. Squishy, soft, smiley, and happy. Easy-going, adorable, and still not redheaded, though I’m holding out hope…  (Sorry, Erin, I can’t help it!) He loves his mother, and loves to be loved by anyone, though she takes priority, for sure. He’s still too young to walk or talk, but he has this cute little half-crawl he does, which is fun to watch. There’s a gentleness about his emerging personality that I can’t wait to watch unfold. Because if he’s anything like his siblings, it’s sure to be dynamic, and fun.  Tucker, your cheeks are soft and round, so smile a lot, because they’re even sweeter when you do.

I’ll end with these two, for two reasons:

1.  I think it illustrates what having a family of 8 feels like. Busy, but special.

2.  Moms sometimes don’t take the time to have photos done with their kids. (I know, I know.)  So I think that Erin was wise to do this.

I like this picture:

But I really, really love this one.  The End.