You know what is funny? How little things bring people together! Our daughter, Hailey, went to Pre-K over on Ft Lewis, WA last year. During that time, she made a “few” friends that she still talks about, as all kids do. Well, one of them is this little boy Tyler. Tyler has older brothers, and they were awesome friends for our boys during the summer when they were all here together! And, I got a great friend, their momma as part of the package! 🙂
But, Tyler has a little sister, Jennifer and let me tell you….. She is the most adorable little gem! And when her momma contacted me to do a fantasy session, I was THRILLED! I love doing these types of sessions, because they are all different! I have yet to do the exact same image twice, and with total freedom, I go based off the “feel” of the subject.
Now, let me tell you something first. Even though these may look extremely easy….. do not be fooled. Have you tried getting your kiddo to look at something that isn’t there? Most of the time it doesn’t work out. So, what I have learned to do, is have them look at SOMEONE! Whether it is my husband when I am shooting our daughter, our my subject’s mother! Now one thing I can always guarantee, is that the child is the only one in the final shot. I mask off so many layers in Photoshop to make sure all my edges are perfect. I use my Tablet to get in there and make paint-brush like strokes. But, with all that being said, they are not impossible. As long as everyone has patience, and can power-through and just use their imagination we can make it work! And sometimes I use the power of toys to get their attention also! 😉
When I took the photo of Jennifer facing away from us, I instantly knew I wanted her to reach for something and maybe even touch it. But, I wanted to make sure whatever it was, it needed to be something very “not real”, so to speak. So, insert MOON! Now, granted, it is nowhere near that easy. Man, I wish I could just “insert moon here” LOL! But, that wouldn’t make me love doing this! I love brushing, drawing, highlighting, adjusting and all of it! Just makes me brain go YAY!!!
So, when we had her reaching for her momma (Check out the photos here to see the before/after shots) I knew she had to be looking at something magical and very mystical. So, CUE Fairies! And of course, you can’t have fairies without butterflies! And I thought what better way to do this, than to have her HOLDING a fairy! Like she caught one! That to me sounds like a great accomplishment for a little girl!!
And of course, we have the adorable Mommy & Me photos. Now, by this time it was getting colder and colder (but thankfully no rain!) so, everyone was feeling the pain from it. So, we got what we wanted and turned this more into a lifestyle session, which I always love because they show who you really are!! I mean, how cute is that photo of them taking a selfie? Just great!
What is a fantasy or dream that you would love to see come to a reality for your little one? I know, once it gets warmer, I will be turning our little girl into a mermaid! Let me know if you want me to capture moments like these for you!
Mary Ashton Photography 