I had such a fun time at the Shaffer family photo shoot! Between the joking, tickle fighting, razzing and even a few headlocks from dad, I couldn’t stop laughing! I am so used to being around little kids all the time, I forgot how fun older kids can be. And it sure made my job easy because they were genuinely laughing the whole time!

To backup a little… a loooooonnngggg time ago I use to work with Bonnie at a childcare center in Fort Collins during college. She taught in the room next to me and we became fast friends. She was one of my first friends to have a baby so I used to ask her all sorts of questions about pregnancy and motherhood. Sadly, we lost touch for several years after I moved away.

Her sister, Laura also worked with us and although she was a few years younger, we also became good friends during that season of life. Just recently Laura and I reconnected on Instagram and had been talking about getting together for family photos. She set up our shoot and asked if it would be okay to bring Bonnie and her family for an extended family session. I was like, “Heck yeah!” Bonnie started a family long before us but Laura is in the exact same season of life, you can see her family photo shoot story here… We have a lot in common now and I love that I have so many wonderful friends to raise children alongside.

So here we are, 11 years later hanging out again! Crazy! We met in the morning at an open space nature area in Fort Collins, CO. After some extended family photos with the cousins, I took these four aside to do their own session. It was as if no time had passed at all. Bonnie and her husband Shannon and I chatted away while the kids ran around with the dog.

Aubrey and Tyler couldn’t be more opposite and their parents know exactly how to handle their personalities. Aubrey is a smiling, genuinely happy young lady with just a touch of sass but easy to engage and talk to. She didn’t need any coaxing from mom and dad and was the easiest girl to work with! She loves having her picture taken and is really good at it! She even had ideas for composition and posing! She stole my heart and if she ever wants to take up photography, I’d totally take her under my wing.

Tyler is, well, the complete opposite! Ha! He is a typical boy that has zero interest in family photo shoots and needed some extra bribery to get the job done! His parents had told him he could go to Starbucks afterwards if he cooperated… so for the most part he did, but when he didn’t, mom and dad would start a tickle fight or make a joke that only boys would laugh at and girls would find completely disgusting! And watching these little exchanges were my very favorite part of the shoot! I loved that they embrace who he is and where he’s at developmentally. They completely understand that in order for Tyler to want to cooperate, they have to engage him on his level rather than getting upset with him for just being a kid! His personality was hilarious by the way and I was completely entertained. He has a unique ability to make people laugh and when you see his real smile, it is as genuine as they come.

It was awesome to be with them and here I was, learning from Bonnie about parenthood again. I have little kids still and haven’t experienced this part of parenting yet so it was great to learn from someone more experienced. When my kids get to this age, I want to remember how Bonnie and Shannon laughed with their children in such a loving and genuine way. I want to remember that even when they are ornery, they are just kids and in order for them to learn, we must be patient, attentive and meet them where they are rather than forcing them to be a certain way.

I photograph a lot of families and I’m always learning new things along the way. The thing I walked away with from this shoot, and hope to teach anyone who decides to have me take their family photos is this: Have more fun, be silly, don’t get bent out of shape if the kids aren’t doing exactly what they should, stay cool and just play! I promise you won’t be disappointed in the results ;) Summer time is the official kickoff to family portrait sessions so if you want to beat the fall rush, email me for availability!