Toddlers are pickle right! I have always dreaded them coming into a session that is until now….. Meet Riley, She’s SO cute and energetic, she flits from place to place exploring and my Lifestyle set up has been the perfect place to let her be free!

TIP ONE | Set up an invitation to play

For Riley’s session we had lots of areas to play with but to keep her happy, herself and most importantly in one place I set up ONE play zone at a time. This one we used a sweet carry-playhouse and a couple of grimes people.

TIP TWO | Work fast

Two year olds have the attention span of a fish… expect this to be over in two minutes or under! Work quick, get the details to give you a great story of the ‘session’

TIP THREE | Sneeze, like REAL loud!

When you work this way these guys get so involved in what they are exploring getting eye contact is like spotting a giraffe in the jungle so my top tip is fake sneeze REAL loud and they’ll look up 🙂

TIP FOUR | Get off your bum-bum

Get all the angles! Get up, stand, move around. Make it a game – ‘where’s mummy now’ kinda thing. That way you’ll get great shots and really different shots of basically the same thing 🙂

TIP FIVE | Pick your timing

Don’t set out to do pictures when its nearly lunch or nap time! This will never end well. Believe me it ends up with a whole lots of tears and you needing a lie down or a swift gin….

Good luck! let me know how it goes! I’m planning on taking my own advice and trying to document our time together with as little tears as possible! Sometime you have to just go with the flow though and get them at their best – having fun and being cheeky 🙂

Carry-Playhouse – Oli Ella

People – Grimms Wooden Toys

Rainbow – Oyoy Living Design

Cot Sheet – Jasper & Juniper

Lacy is crazy. I mean she actually pulled her amazing plan off the other week! She has three children, Conner, Jameson & Caroline all five and under! On top of this her husband has been deployed for the last six months and for four of those months Conner (5) has been asking daily when his daddy is coming home! So Lacy decided to keep daddy’s return as a surprise from the kids right up to the moment they saw him in front of them!

Could you imagine how crazy this bunch would have been had they known why they were standing up in the air field in the freezing cold? The cover story was they were there to see a big plane. I love it, keep it vague and simple. Job well done Lacy ❤

So here it is, Lacy’s amazing plan in action, I love everything about it but man Connor really made me cry ❤

Oh man, here’s the second chapter of the military homecomings I documented the other week. Meet Noel and Adalynn, you can just feel the nervousness and apprehension Noel was feeling building up to her reunion. I mean 6 months away from your man is hard going right and then add into the mix your little lady and how she’ll react to the moment she see’s her daddy!

It’s strange the minutes leading up to Montana’s arrival the temperature dropped big time there was barely a dry eye on the airfield from emotions or the wind! It was so awesome seeing the moment Noel saw Montana, her face just lit up so beautifully.  We saw pretty much everyone reunite before she spotted him. If you wanna see a real life love actually airport moment, keep scrolling ❤

Weird title right? I’m just not into posed pictures. If that is what you would like I’ll happily direct you to amazing photographers who shoot this style however its just no what floats my boat. I’ve learnt over the years that to produce the type of family artwork I love I have to feel what you do, put myself in your shoes and become your storyteller. I want you to see what I see.  If you book me you’ll find a gallery full of love, details and moments frozen in time where glancing at them will take your right back to the thoughts you were having when I took that shot. Take a look and judge for yourselves 🙂

As I shoot with natural light I embrace the freedom of loving shadows, it means I don’t have to worry about a 7ft umbrella getting in my way or being in the wrong position for THE shoot. I have loosened up on all the traditional lighting rules and just go with it, follow the fun I guess.

These guys had a real fun side and my attention definitely followed all the cheeky moments, I loved Jack’s personality so much and we really captured it for his parents. You can see Sophia is well and truly from the same pod right?

Seriously, this was the BEST. DAY. EVER.  Not only for these families but for me too! When I mentioned to my friends Megan over at Megan Tears Photography and Joanne from Bluebell Photography both based on the base itself that one of my bucket list shoots was to document a military homecoming, Megan invited me along to hers where her and few families were being reunited with their guys after a six month deployment to the United Arab Emirates in support of on going operations in the Middle East.

From the moment we arrived at Vanecia’s I could feel the nervousness and excitement these families were feeling. Anxiously clock watching and checking in on arrivals updates whilst applying  last minute lashes and hair curling which inevitably dropped as it was blooming’ windy out by the hangers… it felt a lot like the build up in I witness when shooting bridal prep in terms of excitement switching anticipation!

It hit 13:45 and it was on, we piled in to cars and convoyed over to the hangers hope you enjoy my perspective of the start of Vanecia’s reunion I captured…. I like to call it ‘Anticipation in the friggin’  cold’ ❤

 

 

 

We grabbed a few waiting pics before the hanger started to fill up with friends and families of the 494th Fighter Squadron, the excitement and anticipation in the air was amazing, the crates of beer were coming out, the welcome home signs and balloons honestly do we not do this for our guys when they return? If not WHY!!!!

I love all the little details Vanecia put into Abey’s outfit and those booties!!!! This was before the temperature dropped a bit and the wind picked up. Love Megan so prepared with the snacks and this little trio of girls ❤

Man it got cold at this point, moments before the squadron walked round the corner! This is where I left Vanecia’s story and Joanne carried it on, pop on over to her facebook page to THE moment they got their Jeff back ❤