Cousins

This 4th of July holiday brought together a lively bunch of cousins, and Jacob and I had a ball shooting the whole group last Saturday. With nine children ranging from 2 months to 7 years, this was our biggest "kids shoot" to date. The parents came prepared: snacks, drinks, bubbles, and flags . . . plenty of things to keep the kids interested while we caught some amazing moments on camera. My favorite event was the impromptu parade, led by an enthusiastic mom singing "You're a Grand Old Flag" at the top of her lungs while the kids marched up and down the sidewalk. Of course, there were some nice quiet moments like these: watching the bubbles float away on the breeze, holding a tiny frog they found by the side of the trail (third image), and breaking into smiles for the camera (the 2-month-old smiled especially big for Mommy).

Jacob was a real lifesaver on this shoot. He has a talent for doing Muppet voices and brought his Kermit puppet along this time. We did get quite a few smiles with our green frog friend. Besides helping with the group shots, Jacob also set up and took down equipment, as well as watched our little son who often accompanies me on shoots. Thanks, love!

One of the best parts of this photo shoot was hearing from the parents. They commented on how much nicer an experience this was than previous years' attempts at cramped photography studios. With all the room to run around and play during this outdoor shoot, the kids were much more cooperative and happy. And after the initial posed shots were over, parents were free to stand back while I shot candids and the kids played.

I love this style of photography (often called "lifestyle photography") because it feels so much more genuine and real than posed studio shots. Maybe the kids will remember that they those outfits were chosen because they'd look good for the pictures, but I think they'll also remember that they had a fun time playing with their cousins and waving their American flags high in the air on a fun July 4th weekend.