I‘ve joked before that I will yet ban three year olds from my photography practice. They are, in my experience, equal parts willful and wonderful, and of all the ages for family portraits, I find three to be the most challenging. Imagine my delight, then, to have not one, not two, but THREE little three year old cousins from three different families, plus a pair of seven year olds to round out the mix.
We were doing portraits with the cousins and their grandparents, who were visiting from out of town. The morning went something like this.
Much coercing, wrangling, giggling and herding of kids, and grab a semi-serious shot:
Then, an interval of siliness:
(That last one is my favourite. If that were my kids and my parents, I’d hang a giant canvas of it over the fireplace. Way too much personality for one family, don’t you think?)
And then, lovely sweetness:
Followed by shenanigans:
A soulful moment:
Interrupted by an outbreak of chaos:
And rounded out by outright and abject adorableness:
Oh, three year olds! You are definitely a challenge in my porch portrait studio – but when we can make it work, it’s pure magic!
