As I pulled into the gravel driveway, the warm, morning sun shined brightly through the partly, cloudy sky; I felt the breeze softly whisper a friendly hello through my sunroof.
There has never been a more quintessential, Minnesota landscape than the vision of rolling hills off in the distance marked by wooden fences, trees, and a red tractor parked in the front yard. Having photographed the McQueeney family’s Christmas photos before, I just knew we were in for a treat!
Celebrating your child’s birthday is always a special occasion, but there is something uniquely different about your sweet, little baby turning one. A milestone you believed would one day come, but nevertheless, you feel as if you blinked and it arrived.
Only a few months after photographing Shelby, Kyle, and Beckham’s Christmas portraits, it was time to photograph Beckham’s one-year photos! And since the pandemic took over his birthday month, April, we had to shoot his session a little later than Shelby had hoped.
The last time I saw Beckham he was able to sit up, babble, and crawl; and now, he was walking and running all over the estate where the McQueeney’s were taking a much needed break from their hectic schedules. Yep, he possessed grass, rocks, sticks, and, of course, a toy lawn-mower too!
Beckham is adventurous, funny, sweet, and a cuddle-bug when it comes to his momma, Shelby! I find the easiest way to photograph littles authentically is to let them just be themselves. And the proof that this technique works is right here in this gallery. Just look at the happiness and adventurous spirit expressed on Beckham’s face! He is such a joy to be around, and those CURLS! Stop with the cuteness overload already – haha!
But truthfully, the most important thing for this family to remember is the love, laughter, and positive spirit that Shelby & Kyle still express to one another in their marriage. Without their love, this little family wouldn’t exist.
I love photographing people like Shelby & Kyle who express their feelings openly, and seem to possess an inexplicable amount of happiness in their relationship – look carefully at their genuine smiles, and twinkle in their eyes. You will see what I physically felt while I photographed their session.
With that said – congratulations Shelby & Kyle – and little Beckham too!
Not only do you have each other, Shelby & Kyle, but now you have this wonderful gift, Beckham, to bring you all the joy, goodness, laughter, love and magic that children naturally possess without a lick of effort.
Oh, and here’s a shameless plug – if you need an excellent real estate agent – Shelby is your gal!
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