I adore the brain behind Papermade Design! My friend Elaine is so talented… BUT… she has the most adorable family too! If I had to choose my favorite style to shoot it would look something like this. Ethereal, dreamy, soft, and oh so wonderful coloring.

Some believe the best child / family portraits are the matchy matchy posed formal shots. But, I would disagree. By far, the most precious images are the unposed, organic and free ones. The ones where you just lounge around as a family and sneak in cuddles and sweet kisses when you feel it. For the little ones, the best is letting them explore and be who they are… because that will be what is depicted in photos. There may be some crying here and there… but hey, those are real moments too. I love photographing the silly faces and looks of confusion at maybe their first encounter with a camera. Then you can have a true representation of their identity, and personality at that very moment in time. Whether children are newborn, crawling toddlers, or running-all-over-the-place 3-5 year olds… .why not capture who they are and let them be proud of it when they cherish the images 40 years later.

A sprinkle of posed smiles of everyone looking at the camera are nice too, but far less real in my eyes.

Baby Elodie at this moment in time of her life… enjoys gentle air blown in her face and playful tickles… and especially having fun with mommy & daddy. At this age, most 2 year olds can easily stretch their legs and put their tiny feet into their mouths…an ability they may never be able to demonstrate again… haha

This is just part one… stay tuned for the next part of the session.  Elodie  is such a cutie…. try not to say “Awwww” I dare you

*… the moon turns its clockwork dream.

the biggest stars look at me with your eyes … *

~ Pablo Neruda