On a perfect fall day, I was invited out to take family portraits for Lindsay and her family. They live south of KC (often joking about being practically in Oklahoma) on some simply gorgeous land. There are beautiful trees, a shimmering pond, and we even had a small family of cows for an audience.

There are some families that love each other so much that you get to soak up some of that love just by being in their presence - that is exactly how the Robbins and Grises are. You just feel good after spending some time with them.

The little ones were so sweet with each other, and the sisters loved posing with their baby cousin.

I mentioned the cows. I am a city girl, so my ignorance regarding anything bovine-related knows no bounds. However, one thing I do know is that the baby, a calf by the name of Moo-ana, was one of the cutest creatures I’ve ever seen. I couldn’t NOT share some of those images here, as well.

When doing family photos with little ones, parents are always a little nervous - after all, there is no predicting or controlling a toddler! We can bribe and cajole and plead all we want, but if our little ones don’t want to smile for the camera, they simply won’t.

It took until I had my own son to understand the concept of “meeting them where they are.” I think family portraits are so important, and I understand the pressure of wanting to get “the shot.” But, kiddos often have different, and even better, ideas for our photo session!

Jordan is certainly one of the more mild-mannered toddlers I’ve encountered - she’s very easy-going and happy, but the day we got together to do her family’s session, she wasn’t very interested in sitting still and smiling for the camera. So, we simply didn’t do much of that! I interacted with her, letting her take the lead, and in the process, I got some really sweet images of her, as well as some adorable and hilarious shots of her being sassy to her parents.

I loved this session. We met at a furniture warehouse in the Crossroads and made use of the modern furniture, antique brick, and urban setting. Everyone looked fantastic, and you could feel the love in the room.

I am a fan of formal, posed portraiture, as you probably know - but I also believe that in order to capture authenticity, we have to be flexible. That’s when the moments we cherish the most are free to happen.