Warning. This post contains cuteness overload and may give you baby fever.
Family Photos at Hemisphere Park
I met this family for this first time during my Holiday Mini Sessions last year. I'm so thankful when families return as clients. It is the biggest compliment I can ask for from my clients.
When this family participated in my Minis, their little boy, Myers, was only 2 months old. Now he's celebrating turning one! He was definitely the focus on their family session, but I loved that his parents wanted to be in the photos. Even during my Children's Portraits Sessions, I offer to take a family photo because I think it is important for moms and dads to be in the pictures with their kids. Your children will cherish those photos you when they are older.
We met early Saturday morning at Hemisphere Park. With the exception of a few dog walkers and a group of skaters, we had the park to ourselves. It was a beautiful morning, before the sweltering heat kicked in, and the flowers were in full bloom. I've never enjoyed my time at the park as much I did during this session. I am now eager to do more sessions here!
Myers is all smiles and curiosity. Although he loved being held, Myers definitely loved proving he was independent and confident in his walking abilities. We let him do his thing. A happy child is my goal, so we didn't force him to do anything he didn't want to do. If he wanted to walk, we let him explore; if he wanted to stand, they held his hands; if he wanted to be held, he was scooped up in his parents arms.
Little did he know what surprise was in store for him at the end of this session!
We headed towards the Tower of Americas to take a few more family photos in front of the waterfalls, before finishing with Myers' birthday surprise. He was fascinated by that tall tower! If you see him looking up in a photo, that's what he is looking at. Couldn't take his eyes off of it. My silly noises and movements were no match for that looming building. But his fascination came in handy later for some great shots of his big blue eyes.
Once we finished at the waterfall feature, we made our way towards the water wall feature. You can play in and walk under these water structures (or ride your bicycle through it), making it the perfect location for a cake smash photo shoot in the middle of summer. It was a shame that Myers did not like that water one little bit. He didn't like walking in the water or being close to the waterfall. The cake, however, he very much enjoyed.
Baby's First Birthday Cake
Watching a baby figure out what to do with a cake is entertaining. They go from bewilderment to excited to experimental. I loved capturing every little thought that entered his mind through the process."What is this thing?" "Are you sure I can eat this?" "You're really letting me do this?" "This is yummy!" "I wonder what happens if I put my foot on it?" "Is this chocolate cake or dirt?"
The Clean Up
Myers was such a happy camper until it was time to put the cake away, clean off all the icing, and change into clean clothes. I love a good "behind the scenes" photo and an "after cake smash" photo is a must. It also captures the parents working together, which I love.
There was one last attempt at introducing Myers to the waterwall, but he was not having it. Maybe next year?!
Are you interested in having a session at Hemisphere Park? I suggest a morning session for best lighting and less crowds. It's also perfect for those longer sessions like my Family or Engagement sessions. There's so many fun areas and backdrops, making this a great location for fun photos with your loved ones.
To book a session, visit my services page!
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