It was awesome to see this family again this fall after Ryan and Melia’s wedding! Their little guy was a total heartbreaker, and we had such fun getting together again to photograph their family portraits on the Kansas State University campus.

Bundles of energy and filled with joy. He exudes happiness.

Some children are really what I’ve heard called “lens-aware”. They know when a camera is poking in their face and what they are “supposed” to do. In some cases, that’s great. In other ones, however, my intention is to break down that barrier of having the barrel of a giant 24-70 mm lens staring them down. To encourage little ones to instead, not do what you think you should do. In making children less intimidated and conscientious of the camera, do we really find out who they are and the things that they love.

I think this session is a great example of being lens-unaware, and with it comes great spirit and freedom in the images. (I could go on and on about this topic, and if you’re interested in hearing more, let me know in the comments and I’ll feature it in an upcoming Behind the Image post!)

A very sweet moment with momma…

Mom and dad shared a quiet moment together, too.

In a word :: joy.

Young family–it was so much fun to spend time with you! Enjoy your beautiful portraits!