Is there really any better way to kick off the month than with a photoshoot of one of my favorite Arizona families? Shortly after I moved to Phoenix in 2019 I was contacted by a mutual friend for family. If I'm being honest? I felt super rusty the first time I got together with her, Christian and their son Theo for family photos. Ever since that session I've thought, "Man, I hope I get another chance to take photos for them in the future! I know I can do better."
Here are some of the shots from our first session together!
To my excitement, last week I received an email from Bri to get together and capture some updated photos of their family. The occasion? Theo's hair. They were planning on cutting it soon and wanted pictures of his crazy blonde curls before they were gone. I stopped everything and immediately got them booked! We agreed to meet in North Scottsdale near where my mom lives and get a pretty classic desert feel. I drove down from Flagstaff earlier that day, scouted the location for the best spots and met up with them later to make some magic!
The second Theo popped out of his carseat and said Hello to me I was so happy! There's something so special about watching a kid grow up - even from a distance. Last time Theo + I crossed paths he wasn't talking much - and if he did it was the kind of language only his parents knew. This time he was having full on conversations with me and hearing the way his brain worked was so freaking cool.
Not to mention, working with this family so far has always been so laid back. Posing with toddlers is tricky and overly posed photos aren't really what we were looking for anyway. Once we got a few posed shots in the beginning I let them know, "You know what? Why don't you guys just hang out and interact - those candids are where it's at!". Once they began interacting with one another it reminded me why I loved working with Bri, Christian and Theo back in 2019 - they just get each other. You can tell that they just love each other's company and their family is full of laughter and curiosity. When they're invested in one another their connection is effortless to capture and it's such a gift to be able to see that side of them.
This shoot was a photographer's dream. The weather was perfect, the location wasn't too heavily trafficked, Theo was in a good mood and the lighting was incredibly flattering. I felt like I finally got a chance to redeem myself (to myself more than anything) with this second chance capturing this family. It's also fun comparing this session to the one in 2019 because my style feels more consistent overall with how I'm shooting during the session and editing afterward. My hope is that in the future I can book a few photoshoots in Phoenix at a time to make it more worthwhile for myself and my client base in that location, but even this quick trip down to spend time with Bri, Christian and Theo was absolutely worth the drive from Flagstaff.
I'm looking forward to keeping in touch with this family as they celebrate more and more of life's big and little events!
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