The Baker Bunch

Have you ever tried something new?  Did is feel kind of scary?  I like knowing what is coming and being out of my comfort zone keeps me up at night.    However, this location for the Baker Family photo shoot was not a place I had been before.  It was during the middle of the day, inside a horse barn and I did not know what the light would be  or the surrounding area.  I came early to check it out but because we had reserved an hour, they did not unlock the doors until the appointed time and so I went in fresh and new with no ideas of what I was going to do.  Luckily for me, the grounds had some open spaces so that we could get some natural light photos which  honestly,  I love more than any other type of light.  We were lucky with some clouds and the it was nice to have an indoor place to warm up if needed.

The Baker family was so awesome and it’s a pretty true statement that I love photographing boys.  Just like me, they like knowing what is coming.  No surpises!   I was talking with my cousin about how his son hates to get his school picture taken and how hard it was to get a good photo of him.  He just outright refused to cooperate.  I thought about this and how much I love photographing boys.  I’ve learned a secret.  Get them on your side so that they know you have their back.  I tell them that we can play and have fun.  Sometimes, I take them aside so no one else can hear and we talk about how much the photos will make “mom” happy and that all I need is for 3 photos of them looking at me when I give them a secret code.   Other than that we get to play games and have fun.   It works every time!!  They know what is coming, there are no surprises and they are free to be themselves and have fun with the family.  Older boys, I get on my side by  telling them that they don’t need to smile or do anything that is uncomfortable.  If they know I understand how they feel and that I will make it very easy and quick for them then they seem to chill and go with the flow.  Humor is a must as well.

I loved photographing this family as challenging as it was, it was a joy to look back and see the sweet and silly moments that we squeezed in on a cold December day.

Bonus!! Having one girl in the family allowed me to let the boys go have a break to run and wrestle with each other while I doted on Miss Lilly!!  Perfect!

 

Charlies face is priceless. Little did he know he was doing just what I wanted!!