Photo Shoot with my Nephews

Last week I visited my family in Michigan – it is such a treat to spend time with them.  My two nephews, Parker who is 7 months and Preston who is 2 1/2, kept me very busy.  I feel that we fit four months of play into the five days I was there!  And you guessed it, a visit with the family doesn’t come without at least one photo shoot with the boys.

Most of the photography I do is landscape and wildlife, but I always enjoy the opportunity to work with young kids and put my creative side to work.  I’ve learned there is a big difference in having patience as a wildlife photographer (I could spend hours sitting in a bird blind waiting for the right shot) and the patience necessary when working with toddlers.  Sometimes you get the photo you envisioned and many times you don’t.

Here is one of my favorites from this trip.

One of my goals during my visit was to get a nice picture of the boys together that my sister could use for a holiday card.  It took us longer to get the boys dressed than the entire photo shoot actually lasted!  I am a fan of more candid, interactive shots than I am of the kids looking directly at the camera.  I usually like to set up a scene or possibly use small props, but to me some of the better photos are like the one below.

Here are a few more shots of Parker with a winter scene set-up and some Christmas lights.  Preston is at the age that he is not so interested in smiling for the camera but he was a great helper and made his brother laugh better than anyone else could!

What great fun it was to spend time with my family and continue to come up with fun ideas for photos of my nephews!