Hey y’all! I famously intend to blog more, but this year I will be deliberate about it! I don’t usually blog family sessions… and I don’t normally shoot birthday parties! This little afternoon was special.
I got connected with Angela shortly after they moved from Detroit to BG. We did an easygoing at-home session a few months back and I just immediately adored this family. Kai is an absolute ham in front of the camera. Angela and Diego are so attentive and playful, speaking to him tenderly and bilingually. It was such a loving and warm home. I appreciated their trust in the candid process as well. ((I honestly should blog that session too, but this one has gold details and cake!)).
Angela pitched it to me as a “low-key” party with family coming in from out of town. That family included grandparents and an aunt flying in all the way from Peru. Angela’s folks came down from Detroit. The rare gathering meant a lot to this family and it reminded me of how after a wedding, you will forever long for your people to be in the same place again. Layer onto that international travel and mobility limitations– I could see why Angela was eager to capture this special moment. ((Also she decorated the space so beautifully I kinda think she has wedding planning/design instincts to tap into?!)).
Kai was an absolute star. He was passed around from one pair of loving arms to the other. He was tossed in the air, cuddled, sang to, and thoroughly adored. It was so obvious how loved this kid is from family near and far. The highlights include his delighted reaction to unwrapping his first-ever birthday present: a rocking llama. You can FEEL the joy in this photos. Also a hit: his first ever bite of cake (or rather first ever taste of sugar in fact). The confusion followed by absolute thrill was so charming to capture. Welcome to the club, kid– we all have grown up a little too into cake. Also, I envy the hipster llama and wonder why I was deprived of a companion like this as a child.
In all seriousness, I loved this session because it was no ordinary “1 year” booking. Family and quality time were the true focal point of this party. This candid-loving photographer got to click away while the moments happened between the structured stuff. And that my friends, is what SLL loves most.
Enjoy the preciousness my friends!
