Lakeside Portraits

Each year I take some individual time with my oldest son to photograph him and do something creative as a photographer. He has come to love this annual event and each year tries to find something special to do or include again, while I try to press in and find something new or different that shows his growth and change. I do what I try to do with my clients in choosing locations, colors, or props that hold meaning to him.

We started this routine when he was the age that our 2nd son is now, so this was the year I planned to give him the same adventure.

But as the time drew near (or so we thought) for our 3rd son to come home to us from Ghana, I stalled. I thought, "Well, maybe this time we should try to get family photos altogether." Then, "We should take individual photos and family photos". I waffled back and forth with all the options, and tended to think we should wait.

Finally I realized that right now we're enjoying who we are as a household right now, and part of that family experience is yearning for their brother. And right now, there are just two of them here. So two of them I photographed.

I opted to take them to the same place at the same time and let the four of us interact together and just enjoy one of the last warmish days of the year together.

Six years.

 Two years.

 I love this because:
1. They are laughing at their Dad
2. Eli always wants to sit on Levi's Rocky Donkey, but rarely gets to
3. Levi is holding our "Silas Doll" which was lovingly given to us as a gift for Silas and gave us a way to incorporate our waiting into the photographs

 Levi wanted to photograph me. Later, he saw it and wondered what happened to my head.

 Brian + Me co-photographing.

A family photo at sunset. Complete with tripod. Nope, actually, I brought pieces from two different tripods on accident, so as the sun sank lower and lower and we stuck the camera on a styrofoam cooler in the trunk and propped the lens up with a pretzel. But there we are, at the end of a nice afternoon at the local lake, and only one brother threw the other brother's boot into the lake.