Kim and I had talked about whether she was going to do family photographs or kids photos this year. That was back in late September. With all of the kids’ activities, work and life in general, it fell off Kim’s radar. Fast forward to the beginning of November and an urgent call from Kim. She was in need of holiday portraits of Lilly for her dance recital program in December. She opted to save the updated family photograph for next year and schedule a portrait session for just the kids.

Since mom is a good friend, I have been photographing these two kiddos for most of their lives. My first photo session with Lilly was back in 2009 and every year she is more beautiful than the last. This girl is going to be a heartbreaker when she gets to high school! I first photographed James in 2010 and how he has changed from that chubby little baby I first photographed!

We had a very brisk afternoon at Fellows Riverside Gardens for the kid’s photographs. The sun was shining and the kids were ready to go with their new outfits, despite the chill in the air. Lilly was fantastic in front of the camera, as always. My little buddy James was on a mission during the session. With squirrels and bunnies running around the grounds of the Mill Creek Park Gardens, he was more focused on checking out the animals and tracking them down when they ran off. At one point he sat on a bench, threw me a smile and ran off yelling, “Ok, thanks! I’m done with photos”.

When you have beautiful children to work with like these two, it is hard not to create lovely images of them. Below are a few of my favorites from their holiday photo session.