I have two baby sessions to do this weekend. I have no studio. The two-week basement/studio renovation project is now well into its 3rd, no wait- 4th week. These birthday sessions can be put off no longer. So, these sessions will have an au-natural feeling since they will have to take place outside. Time being of the essence here, I drug the more compliant child out to the yard with me for some lighting tests. (And by no means should you confuse 'compliant' with 'willing'. Emalie is at an age/stage where if I ask her to smile she puts her fingers in her ears, squishes her cheeks and sticks her tongue out at me while making an assortment of odd noises. At least with Nikolas, a forced-smile or non-glare can really speed up these test sessions.) But, at least I've learned from past mistakes. I made Nikolas wear something other than gym gear so I could claim a few keepers from the session. These are my favorites. Anyone guessing what grade he'll be in next year? Sigh.... a freshman.... in HIGH SCHOOL. That's insanity, right there. I remember one of my first sessions with him while I was taking the New York Institute of Photography professional photography course. He had blonde, hair, bright blue eyes and the only way I could capture his attention was to give him a lollipop. Oh, what a cute little guy he was! The smiles were a little easier to squeeze out of him then than they are now that he is a teenager. I still try.... if I'm lucky I get a smile accompanied by an eye-roll. LOL......
