Soft and Sweet Vintage

My girls are completely camera obsessed. Which is great for me because I'm in love with taking photos! So, my husband and I took time to take the girls to City Park, which is a beautiful part of New Orleans that has NOMA, Storyland, and many beautiful parks. 

    Shooting children can come with...exhaustion is the safest word. Don't most parents dread the photo shoot? I think that's why I've learned so much from years of it with my own kids. I wanted it to be a great experience for our family. For my first tip, I always pack plenty of food and water. They like to run like a prisoner escaping to freedom, so naturally their little selves stop after 20 minutes with 'mom! I'm hungry!'. (In which my response is, 'and I'm mommy. Nice to meet you, hungry.')

   I also like to check my expectations. Sometimes the best photos come out of unexpected looks and actions, and then we get to capture the real them! It's also good to keep the length of the shoot around 30 minutes. After that, they do not want to cooperate. 

    

So, here's my favorite moments behind the shoot. From I have no idea where, my daughters picked up this pose where they stick their belly way out (and with my youngest, it's so so funny. Nickname #1 for her is Squishy.) and their hips the opposite way. If you could hear my sigh, it'd say 'oh my word they are growing up too fast.' My oldest is starting to take direction really well (head down. eyes up. look left.), and she also likes to come up great poses. I love it! 

My younger daughter just wanted a million pictures of her running or jumping. Nickname #2 for her is Granny. (Any child that thinks it's fun to suck her teeth earns that name.) During one of her ventures, she somehow managed to get her dress stuck in the back of her underwear...this is so typical Izzy. LOL I love her. 

We found a tiny little cobblestone bridge, so they played princesses. Tip #? (I'm not keeping count.) for the uncooperative girl, let them play their favorite princess. For whatever reason, they act more 'proper' (and this word is always spoken with a British accent) when playing different roles. And I actually got a 'thank you, mommy, for letting me play my favorite princess' after we finished. I think we call this a success!