I've had many moms tell me, with a bit of exasperation in their voice, that the kids on my website look so calm... The moms are a bit worried, I think, that her kids are of the wild-child persuasion, and therefore the photos with me are going to look crazed, not as loving and peaceful as the others they've seen.

But I'm here to tell you to not worry about that one bit.  When I'm photographing toddlers and energetic kids, it's the energy those children bring everywhere with them that brings so much joy and life to the photographs.  Sometimes it seems impossible that we could capture anything at all during the high-impact, high-energy play, but in fact, these photographs are often my favorites.

My goal isn't to get your kids to calm down, but rather it's to capture a bit of that beautiful energy.  It's to show you, even through this high-energy play, that there are undeniably beautiful moments of connection and love through it all.  My job isn't to slow your kids down -- it's to meet them, and you, where you all are, and try to give you an accurate reflection of your experience.

I'm actually really big on getting kids to tap into their energy for a session.  Play games, dance, spin, run around if they need to.  This isn't about sitting still, it isn't about looking a certain way.  It's just about you and your little ones being together heartfully.  Whatever that looks like for you.

There's nothing like having an energetic kid.  You are really experiencing life at full volume.  So let me help you see how beautiful that looks to me.  Let me reflect back to you that you are, in fact, keeping up with your amazing kids.  You're the person they most want to share their energy with, and play with.  What a joy that is.  And how fantastic for me that I get to try to capture it.

I have always been fascinated by siblings.  My own, my friends'.  It can be such a striking relationship.  And it's something I absolutely love to photograph.  The look on a baby's face when his older sibling comes near him has to be one of my very favorite things ever.

I absolutely loved photographing this mama, below, and her two boys.  The boys loved to play around, tumbling and chasing, but they also were just so incredibly sweet and calm together.  I always melt when I look at these nursing images.  What love.  What deep affection.

I'm also really moved by older siblings.  This beautiful family, below, came in for photographs when the kids were 3 and 5.

And this session, below, is one of my all-time favorite siblings session.  This mama brought her four children in, and they truly just played the whole time.  It was kinetic, vibrant, and so full of love.

Are you wondering if you should bring your twins into the studio for mama and babe bonding photographs?  Are you wondering if it will be chaotic?  Are you wondering how you'll contain them in your arms, how it will feel?  Are you wondering if it will be worth it?  I'm here to tell you to do it.  Just bring them.  Bring them to play, bring them to snuggle, bring them to wrestle, bring them to love each other, and you, up.  

During twin toddler studio sessions, I make sure to get each twin with mama alone, and the twins together alone, and all three of you together.  It will be playful, it will be vibrant, it will be a little bit chaotic.

These girls, below, were three when they came in with their mama.  They were incredibly active through the whole session, but the action, as well as the in-between moments, were absolutely stunning.  ​

I love the dynamism of this session.  Their interactions are almost like a dance.  Rough and rowdy sometimes, and delicate and ornate others.

These sweeties, in the photos below, were two during this session, and they were so adorable, energetic, and playful.  This mama was also pregnant, so the session had a lot of amazing dimensions to it. 

The mama below brought her beautiful two year old twins, along with her seven year old for a proper snuggle fest.  

Bring your twin toddlers in to get photographs made!  This time is fleeting.  This time is beautiful.  This love is absolutely sensational.

One of the things I love about photo sessions is how they freeze our lives in place.  Years from now, we'll be able to time travel back into these brief moments with our children merely by looking at a beautiful photograph.  Oh yes, that’s what it felt like to touch her feet.  To smell his soft curls.  To lean my head against hers.

And it’s amazing to see not just one moment in our lives captured, but a series of moments over the years.  Clients who’ve come back to the studio more than once get to see more than one of those bonding moments, those deeply special connections.  Look how small her hands were next to mine.  And look at his squishy little round cheeks.  Was he ever that small? 

Photographs can be such a gift, and it’s my joy to get to take part in the process of freezing those memories.  A physical representation of your love for your children growing, maturing, expanding through the years.

I've photographed this sweet mama and her son every year for three years, since he was 8 months old.  It's been really touching to see him grow up, and to see his mom evolve as a parent.  Their sessions are always such a beautiful representation of their love, and their evolving relationship, and I really treasure getting to see this sweet boy growing up.

Nothing stands still in childhood.  Things change minute to minute, day to day.  And we change with it.  You can see in these photographs how these two have evolved.  It's absolutely stunning.  How can so much shift in just a few years?

Do you have a rough and rowdy, playful family?  Do you worry about how that will translate on camera?  Are your kids high energy?

​Stepping into the studio might seem like something you're not prepared to do.  How will the photographs turn out?  What will your children do?  How will you keep everyone sane and happy?  How will you make it look like your family has achieved that kind of calm that you're always seeing in other families' photographs?

I think quite a lot of moms come into the studio kind of stressed.  Kind of over it.  Kind of burned out.  Because motherhood is an absolute crapshoot.  We're dealing with a constant stream of challenges and issues we didn't imagine the day before, or maybe it's the same stuff over and over.  It's complex, it's grating, it's frustrating.  We're holding the emotions of our children in our hearts at all times, and it can be truly exhausting.

But in every session, I find that there are always always always moments of real deep beauty.  Because children flash in and out of deep emotions with real clarity and fluidity. All you have to do is meet them there.  Don’t worry about where they’re looking (many a photograph has been ruined by a worried mom pointing at the camera so their kid will look at me).  Don’t worry about the kids’ faces.  Their faces will go through 1000 emotions in an hour, and I’ll take 1000 photographs.  It’s much more challenging for a mama to be in the moment than for a child to arrive in joy or play.  The barriers for them are so very low.  A goofy look from you, a sound they didn’t expect, a fart joke.  They’ll arrive at joy.  You just have to be prepared to meet them there.  Give them a soft place to land.  If they spend most of the session testing your boundaries, then we’ve got a typical kid on our hands.  So don’t sweat it.  Join in with fun.  We’re going to get those beautiful shots.

One of the things I absolutely love about these photographs is the kinetic energy.  Nothing (and no one) is standing still.  They were constantly moving and shuffling around, showing their bonds with their siblings and their mom.  It was 100% play, and I was there for it.