Doing at-home lifestyle family documentation is normally a very fun thing to do, but it becomes even more fun when the family is British and have fun accents, and when their 3-year-old daughter makes you tea. Clare and Dan live in a phenomenal old neighborhood in Durham that reminds me a bit of my old ‘hood in Pittsburgh. And their house is adorable, bright, fun, and 100% complete with KISS Mr. Potato Head dolls. They moved from the UK to America several years ago and first landed in Los Angeles, and then hopped across the US to land in Durham. From across the pond they bring with them their wonderful senses of humor but also the knowledge of this British kid’s television show involving a cute monster-looking guy whose name currently escapes me but was reminiscent in the best ways of My Pet Monster (which was brilliant). Harper likes this monster, but also Daniel Tiger and Peppa Pig, and also occasionally snacking on goldfish crackers straight off the pond on top of the dollhouse that Clare painstakingly made her. Baby Lyla is happy and sleepy, and not yet appreciative of all of Clare’s household crafts (of which there are many fabulous ones!). I had a great time hanging out with this family and learning such phrases like being “duffed up on the nugget.”
These guys remind me so much of my own family that I inherently loved them from the very beginning and continue to love them as I’m posting these. This is a sibling trio consisting of Lauren, Randy, and Jill. For their parents Kevin and Dee’s birthdays, they bought them a photo session when they were in town from Connecticut to visit. The photo session also centers around Cyndee, Randy’s spunky and independent 4 year old daughter who is fearless, skilled at climbing just about everything, and totally uninterested in taking pictures with any member of her family. All 6 of these family members are hilarious. They have great senses of humor, funny family traditions, and are fierce board game competitors (FIERCE). I genuinely felt like I was with my own family (especially when Randy went to get something out of the car, so the remaining family members moved all of his board game pieces in the game of Trouble back to the start position while safely moving all their own pieces into home). Actually, they’re fierce competitors in general… and a great example of that would be that they raced each other, and Cyndee lost her shoe, BUT KEPT GOING. Let me remind you that she’s 4. She did not blink, but kept running with one entirely bare foot over the finish line. Also, the entire family only let Cyndee win that one shoeless time, then they decided that was enough and started pushing each other out of the way. I adore them.
Lindsey and Jacques have been a part of our little client family for several years now, and we are so lucky to have them and know them. We’ve photographed them for both their family photos and business photos, and it’s been so fun seeing them grow! It’s also been fun watching their two creative and intelligent daughters start to draw and write stories of their own, taking after Jacques’s comic book business. But this is our very first time working just solo with Lindsey and Jacques as a couple, sans their kids, family members, or business talk! And we got to know a ton about them… mostly Lindsey’s Star Trek preferences and what books are most important for them to save if they had to choose (they have an extensive library)… BUT ALSO just how good this couple is together. They love and support each other, and most importantly, they laugh with (and at) each other. They are truly hilarious, and kept each other laughing and smiling through the shoot. Also LOOK HOW GOOD THEY LOOK. That dress! That foulard (designed by Ikiré Jones, the same artist who created the foulard for Black Panther)! They are so fabulous. This was the day of their 10th wedding anniversary (and 17 years together total!), and we were so honored that they chose to spend it with us, but so glad we could document them together, laughing and having each other as partners in life. We love ya’ll! Happy anniversary!
