There are some sessions that are beautiful because everything goes perfectly. There are the sessions that are beautiful because nothing goes perfectly. This was definitely the second kind. I LOVED IT.

This session was for one of my very best friends as she prepared to welcome her fourth baby into the world. If you've ever tried to photograph a family with three kids who are fully committed to being kids, you already know where this is going. 😂

There was running. There was playing. There was probably a little arguing. There were kids who had absolutely no interest in standing still just because Mom's photographer friend asked them to. If I can be so honest, I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

Letting Kids Be Kids

One of the things I care most about when I photograph families is giving kids permission to be exactly who they are. I don't want every child standing perfectly still with their hands folded and a picture-perfect smile. That’s not childhood. Childhood is movement. It's curiosity. It's silliness. It's climbing on things, running through fields, laughing way too loudly, and occasionally refusing to cooperate simply because you can. During this session, these kids were doing all of it.

Instead of fighting against the chaos, we let them move. We let them play. We let them show me their bugs. We encouraged them to be wild. Somewhere in all of that movement, we captured the photographs that I think will mean the most someday.

Welcoming Baby Number Four

There is something incredibly special about photographing a mother who is preparing to welcome her fourth baby. This wasn't her first time experiencing pregnancy. She already knew the sleepless nights, the tiny newborn clothes, the endless diapers, the snuggles, and the overwhelming love that comes with bringing another baby home. I will say that doesn't make the fourth time any less significant.

If anything, there was something really beautiful about seeing her surrounded by the three little people who had already made her a mother.

They were about documenting the family before they became a family of six.

The Beauty in the Chaos

As a photographer—and especially as a mom myself—I know how easy it is to look at a family session and think, I just need everyone to cooperate. We want everyone looking at the camera. We want everyone smiling. We want the kids to behave.

Years from now, I'm not sure those are the photographs we'll care about most. I think we'll care about the photograph of the little boy who wouldn't stop moving. The sibling who was laughing so hard they could barely stand. The little hand resting on her belly.

The imperfect moments that somehow tell the story better than a perfectly posed photograph ever could.

Because this is what their family looked like.

And someday, they'll miss it.

Golden Hour in Sheridan, Wyoming

We photographed this session during golden hour, which gave everything that soft, warm, ethereal feeling I love. The Wyoming landscape became part of the story without taking over from the family. The light was beautiful. The setting was beautiful.

If your kids aren't perfectly behaved for your family session, good.

Bring them anyway. Let them run. Let them laugh. Let them be weird. Let them be little. I'll take care of the photographs.

Your family doesn't need to look perfect to be worth remembering. They just need to be yours.