Vassallo Family - Hope Fall Fundraiser

All the Boys

Last weekend, the last session for my Hope for Grieving Families fundraiser set was right at golden hour. We ended up with a brisk, but otherwise beautiful overcast day, and my last set of clients were ready for it. Mom and Dad came up with their two boys, everyone in shades of blue, ready to smile!

We caught some of the warmth (by color, at least...) of the setting sun near the lake to start. The boys did a great job looking at me and smiling, and then they were ready to direct the show. Being 3 and 5, this is, of course, the way of the world. I'm a boy mom, myself, and it was like having conversations with my own son as we worked in new poses, slightly modified where everyone was standing, or reworked the group to appease their desire to be part of the creativity. It was lots of fun!

Another fun fact about boys is that there are a few years where smiles are either (1) forced, (2) completely goofy, or (3) genuine. Getting that genuine smile typically means working past the goofy ones using silly phrases. "Stinky feet," "purple monkeys" and " macaroni and cheese" are my go-to choices, and a few of those really worked with these two. I love being able to reassure the parents that it's really ok that they are silly, running back and forth, or being typical boys. It adds so much authenticity and joy to the photos in the end!

The boys honestly did very well during our 20 minutes. I was able to get several poses of them together (with their adorable eyes and faces looking, too), and we had no shortage of family poses. When we attempted some individuals, it was clear that they were done with photos and ready to burn off energy, and they were released to go run up hills and look at the ducks with Dad.

Thank you so much for allowing me to capture some photo memories of your family, and for letting me see the beauty and chaos that comes with being a family full of beautiful, messy, lovable, and chaotic boys!