a Princess and her puh-pah

The best excuse to have a family photo session is when a new member gets added to the group. 

That's exactly why the James family reached out to me. Their granddaughter was about to celebrate her first birthday, and they wanted to freeze this season of life by getting everyone together in one frame. 

Instead of meeting at a park or studio, we kept things simple and relaxed by doing the session at the grandparents' house.  Chances are this is where they'll celebrate birthdays, holidays, and Sunday dinners for years to come, and that's the part of the setting I love to incorporate

It didn't take long to figure out who ruled this castle.

This little princess wasn't chewing on some ordinary teething ring. Nope. She had Gingi's stack of bangles and seemed perfectly content gnawing away on 14k gold. But the person she really had wrapped around her chubby little finger was her Papa (pronounced Puh-Pah).

I don't care how tough a guy looks, hand him his granddaughter, and watch him turn to mush.

Watching grandparents soak up these moments with their grandkids is one of my favorite parts of photographing extended families. Those are the images that become priceless over time.

Now, you might think the almost one-year-old baby would have been the biggest challenge of the day.

Not even close.

One of the adults was less than thrilled about the idea of family pictures. We've all got one. The person who's there against their will and counting down the minutes until it's over.

But here's the thing: every family has different personalities, and part of my job is to make it enjoyable and not feel like a chore. Once I finally got him to crack a genuine smile,  I felt like I had won the war.

That's one of the things I love most about generational sessions. They're never just about creating a Christmas card photo. They're about documenting the relationships between grandparents and grandkids, siblings who only see each other a few times a year, and parents watching their own children become parents.

These photos hold so much history and hope.

If you've recently welcomed a new baby into the family, or honestly, if you've been saying, "We really need to get everyone together for photos," for the last five years. This is your sign. Let’s talk, and get the ball rolling.

There may never be a more meaningful reason.