Eun+Matt // A Family Session

In 2012 we photographed a lovely wedding at Duke Chapel of an even more lovely couple named Eun and Matt, and now we’ve reunited to photograph their family! We got to meet their incredible kiddos Evan and Madeleine, and we played around their backyard and then spent some time at the NCMA. When we got to their house, Evan walked us around and gave us a detailed tour. This included him telling us that it was impossible for him to accidentally go down the drain while taking a bath because he’s too big, but that bacteria and germs and other things in baths CAN go down the drain, but you can only see those under a microscope (where you can also see allergies). He also told us all about how washers and dryers work, except his instructions included filling the washing machine with milk to make the clothes clean (he quickly backpedaled on this information). Interests also include rockets, spiders, singing songs from the movie Cars, picking and identifying spiders, and his new striped belt. He also adores his little sister Madeleine. Madeleine just turned one, and her interests include her stuffed sheep, apple juice, applesauce, and getting pushed around in a blue plastic car. They are both pretty great, as are their awesome parents whom we adore! It was so nice to see them again and meet their great kids – love seeing our couples again! Thank you, Eun+Matt!

At Home with Brad and Johanna // A Family Session

On this shoot the six-year-old son developed a hand-written Star Wars test to present to Geoff before we got to the house. If Geoff were to fail it, we were to be kicked out of the house before the session began. There were a few questions designed to stump, but thankfully Geoff passed with flying colors and we were able to document this awesome family of four. :) So meet Brad and Johanna, and their kids Laurel and Sam! We love Brad and Johanna, but I fear that we had way too much in common with their kids (Goonies? Yes! Star Wars? Heck yes! Indiana Jones? You guys rule! Legos with extra Yoda heads and Chewie torsos?! Alright!!). At one point it was determined that Geoff (who wore his Star Wars shirt for the occasion) would make the best babysitter ever. We gave them a few pointers (namely that they need to watch Back to the Future and Phineas and Ferb) but overall we have to say that these are terrifically well-rounded kids who are solidly in touch with their late 1970s, 1980s trivia despite being born a solid 30 years later. We’re impressed. 

So we hung out with these guys at their awesome lake house where they showed us their Star Wars legos, played violin and cello for us (they are awesome!), introduced us to Yamslam, and showed us around their super cool fishing dock on the lake. In return, we piled all four of them into a hammock and hoped we wouldn’t need to use our liability insurance. We laughed, we cried, Carolyn got hit in the head with a whiffle ball. Brad and Johanna introduced us to the concept of mail-order bacon, and then we went home. We had a fantastic time hanging out with these four amazing and talented family members… and we rest well at night now knowing that somewhere out there exists a family that still plays baseball, board games, and instruments. They fish, have fires, and at the end of a long day, they all sit down and cuddle up with some nice early 80s Harrison Ford.

Vivi // A Toddler Session

Vivi! What an amazing, adorable, ginger-headed toddler that there ever was. Her parents contacted us to have a session with Vivi as she recently turned two. The parents explicitly wanted absolutely not part in the photos themselves, and they warned me that it’s pretty much Vivi’s world, we’re just living in it. We were told that she would run, pick up sticks, play with rocks, and pose for no one… which, really, is our ideal client. So we met them in a park and spent a chunk of the evening literally running around after Vivi and attempting (mostly successfully!) to get the camera to focus on a constantly moving object. She did indeed pick up sticks. She did indeed play with rocks. She found a leaf, but this didn’t interest her for too long. She saw the camera, and then proceeded to say, “CHEEEEEEESE!” as she ran in the opposite direction of me. She loved Mr. Geoff, but most small children do (probably because Mr. Geoff’s not entirely sure how to approach small children and they can sense it, much like our cats flock exclusively toward people who are allergic to them).

Vivi also had a keen interest in all potentially dangerous areas of the park such as stairs, old farm equipment, and a stranger’s dog. Halfway through the session it started to pour and Vivi ran out from the overhang, stood in the rain, and looked entirely and completely confused. Then she’d laugh up at the sky. Then she’d look confused again. She wasn’t sure whether or not she liked it or wanted to be in it, but she had a hard time staying away from it, so we decided to go with the flow and follow her around in the rain for a while, still picking up sticks. She is, clearly, hilarious and amazing and kept us laughing the entire time. I think this age group has it best. Sticks, rocks, laughter, adventure, and having people chase after you all the time to make sure you’re okay and to give you snacks.