Tallulah is in the same class as my oldest daughter – so it goes without saying how T’s mom found out about this photography thing I do. We’d had to take a couple rain checks (literally), so I was glad we finally got a day and time we could shoot without umbrellas, although that would be cool too… Anywho, we met up at Harvey West Park on the West Side of Santa Cruz, hoping to catch some of those lovely deciduous fall leaves. But when I got there, I discovered that all those orange and red leaves had fallen off and been carted away a few days before, so…. there’s these beautiful redwood trees! And green grass! And… banana slugs! If you know me, you know I can make stuff look good no matter where, how or when. Just take deep breaths, and seek out the inner personality of your subject and all will be well.
Speaking of subjects and personality, sisters Chloe and Tallulah have TONS – and maybe a little to spare (much to the exasperation of mom, I’m sure!). But I know how to deal with rowdy kids, and I think after a while, Mom realized this as well and didn’t need to stress about it. Kids are crazy, and don’t want to be told what to do – so sometimes you have to encourage them to do what they’re already doing (like sticking out tongues or making faces) before you can transition back to the original pose you had in mind. But if it’s not working, you just have to let that idea go and fluidly move onto whatever’s happening next. Photographing kids is not a prepared, predetermined situation. It’s chaos, and you just have to run with it and hope for the best.
T & C gave me tons of opportunities for fantabulous pictures, and though we only shot for maybe 45 minutes I’ve got quite a few keepers to present. My session faves are laid out below for your viewing pleasure. If you’re a relative of these little whippersnappers you probably want to see all 60 edited photos, which are on my proofing / printing site, www.GoodEyePhotography.com. Enjoy, and leave a comment if you like what you see.
