THIS CHILD. I have photographed Sara and Jackson several times but this is my second time photographing them with their son. He cracked me up the first time with his boy band looks and his tiny white tux, and quickly established himself into the CSP Photo Hall of Fame with his “Hey ya’ll” car from which I can only assume he’s picking up girls for the prom. Anyway – his hair is shorter now and he’s about a foot taller somehow and he was not in a tux this time, but the enormous smile and infectious enthusiasm for both life and stuffed animals remains! Not only that, but he’s an advanced birder as well, telling me that cardinals come to their bird feeders and incorrectly but enthusiastically misidentifying a crow as a vulture. I love it. Mad respect. Now he enjoys celebrating alongside his parents, so while they sipped on champagne to celebrate their 10 year houseiversary, he sipped on sparkling apple juice, quickly decided he hated it, and we had to switch to flat apple juice instead. There is zero alcohol in his glass despite him looking like he’s on that level of enjoyment. He is top notch in the entertainment department and I adore him and his parents.

I’ve photographed these folks a few times now and their family never ceases to amaze me. They’re joyful and hilarious. The kids are SO smart. They love talking to me about cats and cameras and wildflowers. The parents are brilliant as well – Lucy made all of the outfits that the kids are wearing in these photographs! They wanted to document this time together as a family and update their family portraits, as well as have a little snack picnic in their field and play with swords. It was the perfect summer evening outside. Their little boy picked a variety of wildflowers for me to take home to put in a vase, I met their adorable new rescue dog Rosie, and I witnessed the total failure of a spontaneous trust jump that somehow ended in minimal injury. They’re lovely and kind humans, and I always feel like family when I’m there.