We had a beach… and a birthday celebration. We had the warm glow of a late summer afternoon.. smoky, but beautiful. We had crowns and sparklers and champagne and cake. There was cricket catching and releasing and there was swordplay. It was a most magical evening with a wonderful family, all enjoying their together time. It is times like these that make you wish summer had a pause button!
There must be some fairy dust hidden amongst the crooks and crannies of that little star studded crown. Because from the moment this session began, I knew it was going to be special. What little girl wouldn’t wish to be a princess for a day? Sweet Sammi’s eyes lit up the moment she saw this crown… and her little brother Hayden was captivated by it as well. But it was temporary, for he just wanted to hit the beach. Now, I know forest fires are terrible things.. but there is a silver lining to them… the hazy smoky air produced the most gorgeous soft warm light… pure magic! I got lost in it.. and in the world of this beautiful, playful young family. I laughed while they twirled in the grasses and picked wildflowers… and played helicopter. And especially when Hayden would walk out of the frame of the most wonderful family shot… because he had other plans. Other things to do in this summery landscape. And serendipitously, he helped create other shots as a result! I enjoyed this evening so much, the only thing that prevented me from taking more and more photos, was the setting of the red sun and the dying of the light. Truly.. an evening of fairy tales.
Newborns love to sleep, right? Not this little sweetheart… at least, not this day. Her big beautiful blue eyes wanted to take in the world this day and all of its happenings. And a lot was going on! When you are only two weeks old, everything is new and interesting. Especially all of that light coming from the windows. Even though it was cold outside, we kept her warm and toasty… with a full tummy and mom’s soothing voice by her side. A perfect recipe for sleep, you might think. She did take a tiny nap… photo shoots are exhausting events, and a wee bit of beauty sleep was definitely in order. But it wasn’t long before those baby blues were wide open once more, charming me utterly and completely with her adorable little expressions. What a beautiful baby girl. A winter princess.
This time of year can be unpredictable when it comes to weather, but we lucked out this mild day at the Esquimalt Lagoon. The water was running high under the bridge, the fall colours were abundant and the rains subsided just long enough for us to have some fun in the sand. This little guy was offering me all kinds of adorable faces, but his infamous smile was undercover for much of our session… which is perfectly fine by me! I think that children have such a vast range of interesting expressions that are so unique to each child. I think my favourite is the pensive look.. whether they are looking at my lens slightly perplexed about what it does, or whether something in their environment catches their eye. For Carter, it was the airplanes in the sky. He was fascinated by them. I was able to catch a few little grins and open smiles from time to time as well, which I know will make his mom and dad happy, as that is how they know Carter. They joked about how he is all smiles most of the time… except during a photo shoot when we want him to smile! I think he will go through much of his life doing things his own way… is there any better way to do it?
Right from the first moments of arriving at the barn, I knew these two had an extraordinary connection. Natalie’s love for this horse runs deep, and Starbuck… well, he will do almost anything for her. I loved watching them interact with each other as I captured these pictures. When we went into the field, all Starbuck wanted to do was munch on the fresh green grasses at his feet.. Natalie would lightly smack him with the rope to get his attention the way good friends playfully nudge each other when one is acting up. They each had their own idea about how this photo shoot was going to go, and for Starbuck, it wasn’t about looking pretty for pictures. When we returned to the barn, I was so moved when I watched them hug each other as Natalie gently removed his halter. I found myself smiling the entire time I was editing these photos, because I was so utterly charmed by this horse. I was editing, but also reminiscing at the same time.. wishing I could go back and visit Starbuck once again. Speaking of halters, don’t you just love how he has a custom bridle with his own beautiful nameplate?
As I was driving to the beach to do this session, I had my doubts. Little raindrops were lightly tapping my windshield and the trees were swaying a soft dance. I thought to myself, just wait and see. The weather can be unpredictable when you live on the coast, and sometimes things can change quickly. Although I knew this, I dreaded calling this family and cancelling so last minute, as I know how challenging it can be to prepare your kids for a photo session. And the drive wasn’t all that short. I parked my car and walked a small stretch of the beach, and while there were a few raindrops, it wasn’t serious. And sure enough, as soon as we all met each other and began the session, the most beautiful thing happened. The warm fading sun slipped behind a cloud and the soft filtered light was absolutely magical. It is my most favourite kind of light! And what a delightful family. I got completely lost somewhere within my camera as I clicked frame after frame. If it weren’t for the diminishing light, I could have gone on for hours. Sometimes it pays off to be patient, when it comes to the variable weather and see what unfolds!
The last time I photographed this beautiful family was eleven years ago. How the kids have grown! I don’t think I would have recognized any of them if I passed them by on the sidewalk, but as I looked through my lens, I saw the young children they used to be in each of their faces. I even noticed some of the same mannerisms that they had as young ones. We change over the years, but in some ways we never change, and that is a wonderful thing. What was really fun and unique about this session though, was that it was an extended family shoot… which included their beloved chicken Golden Girl! In all the years I have been photographing families, this was a first. How delightful! What a sweet creature.. so willing to pose quietly for me as the family gathered and prepared for the shoot. I kind of wish I could have a chicken now.
I’m always amazed at how resourceful kids can be when they are playing on the beach. No screens of any kind are needed here. These three beauties found all kinds of things to keep them immersed in play. They used the charred remnants of a beach fire to write their names on stones (complete with little hearts), they built sand castles with only their hands and imaginations, they performed countless gymnastics moves on the pillowy soft sand, while I stood back and marvelled at how flexible they were! I wish I could do a back bend! Children have a way of simply being in the moment and creating their own worlds of adventure just by being present and spontaneous. It was so beautiful to watch these girls be themselves and take advantage of the sea and sand this lovely early Autumn evening.
If you ever need someone to catch you a grasshopper (or in this case, a beach hopper of some sort), Ava is your girl. At first I thought she was pretending to catch little critters in the sand… but I quickly realized that she was actually collecting real ones in her hands! She was lost in a world of her own while she combed the beach for ladybugs and other random but delightful things. Then she was visited by a familiar four-legged friend who just came in from a swim in the sea. They had a couple rounds of tug-o-war before they parted ways. And when it was time to go home, her rubber boots couldn’t help but collide with the puddle in the path. She’s quite an expert at puddle jumping… but she had enough as soon as she realized how wet she was getting. Back to the van for some yummy goldfish crackers and a rest from a busy day on the beach.
He has two live Chihuahuas as family pets. But the one he wanted to bring to the beach was his stuffed one… his name? Chihuahua, of course! How cute is that? Usually when I photograph children his age, I get all kinds of cheesy smiles when they see the camera pointed at them. All teeth showing, happy little grins, but not so authentic. Kieran was different. When he looked into the camera, he would bat his eyelashes at me. Blinking and blinking… every time he heard the click of the shutter. It resulted in many photos with his eyes closed… or half closed. But of all the children I have photographed over the years, not one has done this. It was almost as though he was flirting with the camera… showing his coquettish side.. playing with me. He made me laugh so hard I had to put the camera down! Such a sweet charmer. What a beautiful child. And so much fun to play with on the beach in the raindrops.
© 2018 Jaime Brandel Photography|ProPhoto6
Patti - Beautiful photos of a beautiful family