You Can’t Go Back and Do It Over

I’ve often dreamed of having pictures of me with my boys that show the true heart that lies at the core of our life. Above, this picture of Gina and her girls is beautiful. Her husband, Joe, gave her a five-year package of photography last Christmas. I am so thankful to be new part of their family history — that I can be the one to make sure Gina and Joe have the beautiful years of their growing family documented…before it’s too late. See below for more images from their first Wonder Years session.

I LOVE this picture of Joe and the boys. It was a windy day, to be sure, but I think it only adds to the passion I truly felt the day I was with this family. Send me a message or leave a comment if you’d like to see their slide show.

I know Joe and Gina will always treasure it, of course because it shows the whole family, but even more than that, because it was taken in the woods behind their home. They love those woods!

Their youngest daughter is going to be really fun to work with over the coming years. She required very little coaching in how to gaze into a camera lens. The funny thing, though, in the picture above: I said, “Don’t smile.” And so this is the look she provided, which is absolutely stunning. And then she said to me, “Why do you tell people to not smile?” And I glanced at the picture on the back of my camera and thought, “Because you’re beautiful whether you’re smiling or not.”

In this shot, taken in her room, I love how it conveys a sense of storytelling with her hat and costume, and the books on the book shelf behind her. To me, this picture says, “Reading is fun! You get to pretend to be part of the story!”

Did I mention she has a way of gazing into a camera lens that’s special? Yes, yes I did!

She’s a cheerleader for her big brother’s football league.

She and her little brother wanted me to document one of their tea parties. In this shot, they are Woody and Jessie enjoying a little taste of Darjeeling.

Love this one of the girls reading together!

The girls. Beautiful.

This is my favorite shot of the oldest sister. I love her hair because she looks so different depending on whether she wears it down, braided, pulled back in different head bands — it’s really amazing how different she looks when she changes her hair. I love it!

In this shot, she was helping Mom make dinner.

We went to her soccer game that day. I love this shot of the bench. My all-time favorite shot of my son, Brad’s, days on the baseball team was a shot of the bench. I’m so glad I have that picture!

It’s really cool how good she is at those headshots.

Usually at photo shoots, I have to gently guide kids to read a book so I can take a picture of them reading their favorite book. With her, this is what she was doing to pass the time while I was focusing on her little brother.

I love this shot in the car! I told them I was trying really hard to get an inside-the-car shot that showed the motion outside the car and that I was using a really slow shutter speed. They were so patient with me while I tried to get the shot. I love it! Thank you!

This is my favorite headshot of the older boy.

Love this laughing shot too though!

I love this one of him and his dad playing football in the yard. (They had just come home from the football game when I first arrived, so we took some shots of them throwing the ball around while he still had his uniform on.)

Great catch!

The family has a trampoline in the back, so later in the day, of course, we HAD to get the jumping shots!

Everybody loves “Goodnight Moon.” This is such a sweet picture of the boys reading together. If you look carefully, you’ll see the younger boy’s pacifier in his hand. Maybe I’m not really supposed to point this out, but he’s trying really hard to break the habit. I think it’s really cool to have a picture that shows him holding it in his hand. That’s an important rite of passage that not many photo albums would include.

Here’s the youngest boy’s headshot. Awesome!

I love this one of him and his mom in the woods. When my son, Brad, was that age, we had an almost-daily ritual of walking in “The Small Circle Woods.” I wish I had pictures of us walking together. I can’t go back and do it over, so if you’re reading this and thinking, “I should get a picture of [whatever special thing you need to get a picture of]” just do it!

Thanks again, Joe, for trusting in me to document your family over the next five years. What a great gift for your wife! My prayer is that you will someday look back on our time together and say, “That was the smartest gift I ever gave!” Hope you enjoyed your slide show!

Incidentally, in the picture above, it’s not staged that the mom is the only one not sitting down for dinner! I love this picture!

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