"Going With the Flow"- The Way To Achieve Authentic, Timeless Photos

So many people have this image in their head of what a family photography session, or children's photography session should be.  They may stress over all the little details, and honestly, often have expectations that are unrealistic for little ones, resulting in a lot of stress for everyone.  You will often hear me say that we will just "go with the flow"at our photo session.... that is truly how I live, and how I work.  Roll with the punches, don't get stuck on the obstacles that come up, instead go with them.  I would prefer a photo of a pouty child any day over a forced smile with a child saying "CHEESE".  This is them... the stage they are at, their personality.  I have told many clients that one of my personal favorite photos is one of myself and my daughter when she was 2.  I took her to have her photos taken for her second birthday, and she was very clingy (which was not abnormal for her).  She would not sit down alone for her photos.  What did I end up with?  A photo of me holding her.  Her nose is running, she has a pouty lip and in my eyes, she is adorable, and that photo is a perfect representation of her at that stage.  She was a mama's girl.  That photo is printed, and sitting on my dresser, 19 years later.  
 

So where am I going with this?  I am a firm believer in child-led shoots.  I believe I have said this before in blog posts, but if clients want a stiff, formal shoot, I am not the photographer for them.  They may be better in a studio somewhere.  I much prefer letting kids run, play and laugh.  Last week I had a session scheduled.  It was a 92 degree day, and I emailed my client to see if she wanted to reschedule.  Her response was to ask me if we could bring a bucket of water for the kids to play in.  How perfect!  That's exactly what I did, and here are the photos that we got with that water.  They are genuine, timeless and fun.  These two little ones laughed, danced, splashed, and had the time of their lives.  

Let's have some fun together.  Let's let kids be kids, and let's celebrate who they are at this stage in their lives.  You will be happy you did some day, when you have these images to look back on.