We weren’t planning a whole shoot.

We were just trying on some new cowboy boots and jeans as we get ready for a summer ranch trip and I thought going to the studio would be a fun way to test them out.

So… jeans on, boots on, a little music in the studio… and then it just turned into this whole thing.

They were laughing, being ridiculous, trying to outdo each other, fully in their element.

That’s the whole story behind these photos.

What actually happened

There’s something that happens when kids feel like they’re not being “photographed.”

No pressure.
No “stand here.”
No “smile like this.”

They just… are.

And that’s exactly when their personality shows up in the best way.

The way they look at each other.
The way they try to make each other laugh.
The little in-between moments that you can’t plan even if you tried.

That’s what I love about these.

WHY “PERSONALITY”

A lot of parents tell me they want “updated photos.”

But what they really mean is:

They want to remember who their kids are right now.

Not just what they look like.

Who they are when they’re being silly.
Who they are with their siblings.
What this phase actually feels like.

Because that part changes just as fast.

And it’s usually the part we don’t think to document.

This is exactly why I love doing personality portraits in the studio.

They’re simple.

No big planning.
No complicated outfits.
No pressure for everything to go perfectly.

Just a little space to let them show up as themselves.

Sometimes that looks calm and quiet.

Sometimes it looks like this… total chaos in cowboy boots.

Both are perfect.

in the studio

These sessions happen right in my Silver Spring studio, and they’re some of my favorite because they’re so easy for families across Montgomery County, DC, and Northern Virginia.

You come in, we keep it relaxed, and we just let things unfold.