The Hopkins Family - Fall 2015
Oh the Hopkins family. Part of our extended church family and near and dear to my heart. You may recognize them from the strawberry picking session this past Spring. This time around it was time to document some special birthdays! Within the same 5 weeks, little Abby turns ONE and big brother Andrew turns THREE. So much to celebrate!
Joy and I were watching the weather closely that week - remember back in November when the rain seemed like it would never stop? Thank goodness the rain stopped long enough for us to sneak our session in! The ground may have been a little wet, but that didn't stop us. But what almost did stop us was flooding. The entrance to my neighborhood is flanked by two creeks. With all the rainfall in November, the creeks flooded, trapping us in our neighborhood! Yes, our neighborhood and my un-showered self made the news (insert embarrassment here). I had to text Joy the morning of our session and tell her that I was literally stuck and could not leave my house. Fortunately, the waters receded and they reopened the road 30 minutes before I had to leave for our photo session. Phew! Thank you, Joy, for your patience!
You know those perfect family photos on Pinterest where everyone has designer clothes on and every hair is in place and toddlers are all looking at the camera with the most perfect smile and perfect behavior and you wonder if it is even real? Well, no offense, but please don't hire me if those are the types of photos you want. For the record, your kids (and husband) will have a miserable time trying to meet your unrealistic expectations for what a fictional, perfect family looks like. Instead, come to me as you are...laugh and have fun together. It is in these moments that I am able to capture the authentic personalities that make up your family. I would choose the messy, chaotic photo session where I am chasing, but can't keep up with your booger-picking toddler any day over the contrived and posey photo shoot because it is REAL.
I love that Joy and Matt come to me with a very simple expectation: to capture their family as it is right now. This goal took the pressure off of me and them. As a result, our session was less about performance and more about celebrating family relationships.
I remember Joy telling me a few months back about Andrew's love for popcorn. I'm so glad that on a whim I decided to bring a huge bag with me for their session. Turned out to be a highlight of our time together! Oh I just want to squeeze these precious kiddos...
Many thanks to the Hopkins family for brightening even the rainiest of November afternoons!
