Aimee & Family {A Real Look at a Kansas City Family Session}

When my dear friend Aimee asked if I could sneak in some maternity photos before her second daughter arrived I jumped at the chance.  Her family is darling and her daughter, Addie, is so sweet.  We decided to just do a 20 minute mini session since we weren't too sure how Addie would do with a full session.  Addie was of course a perfect two year old having to get her pictures taken.  After editing the photos I reached out to Aimee to see if she would be ok if I shared the WHOLE session.  Meaning the great perfect photos and the in-between the smiling shots meltdowns.  I think so many times families with young children are afraid to get family pictures done because they are worried that the kids won't cooperate.   Aimee and Hal's maternity/family session in the Rose Garden at Loose Park was the perfect illustration of a normal family session with a young child.I tried to blog this in the exact same sequence that the photos were taken.  It is easy to see how quickly Addie switches from full smiles to complete meltdowns and back again.  When photographing toddlers it is important to pull out all of the best tricks.  We did have bribery (I always keep smarties in my bag-they are little and don't cause a mess) and even played a few games.  The most important thing to getting the best family photographs in Kansas City is to relax.  If mom and dad keep smiling and playing, the kids recover quickly and we can keep moving.  I always try to sneak in a few posed photos in between the silly candid shots.  The result is always worth it (and the meltdown shots will make great blackmail someday down the road.  Enjoy!