Before their grandkids boarded a flight from Boston to Denmark, these sweet grandparents had one wish: to capture a moment in time with their grandkids. The emotion and love in this session were undeniable. As a Boston photographer, it’s moments like these that remind me why I fell in love with photography.

Telling a Story

My goal with every session is to tell my client’s personal story, and this was one of those sessions where we were so aligned on that mission. I wanted to tell the story of their love for their grandkids and how they spent their time together, and that is exactly what we did! They explored the nature at Whip Hill Park, looking at bugs and rocks, and I was simply in the corner capturing it all for them. As a Boston family photographer, this is the most ideal scenario because it creates the most authentic images. Nothing is contrived, it feels natural and it showed in the images.

How I work with extremely shy children:

One of the things that often comes up with photographing families, is that one child is extremely shy . Usually these children are so shy that they are hiding behind parents, running away, and are just unable to relax. This is completely fine! One of my kids had a season where they were like this, so I not only do I understand this anxiousness for some kids, but I’m deeply empathetic towards it. I find that these kids really need extra time to warm up. My approach is to stand far enough away that they feel safe. Especially in the beginning of the session, I will talk minimally and softly. Another way I make these kids feel comfortable is by having the parents provide direction instead of myself. I will simply tell the parents the direction I’m wanting to walk and let them direct the children. Shy children need that direction coming from someone they trust.

From Shy to Relaxed

One of the little boys in this session was so shy in the beginning, he would run away if I was within 15 ft. of him. So what did I do? I gave him more space and more time so that he was able to relax. In the end he was able to forget that I was even there and we were able to get some really sweet photos of him having a great time with his grandparents! As a photographer and mother, I want you to know that your child’s comfort is of the upmost importance to me. I strongly believe in honoring their needs.

In the end this was such a beautiful session. These kids left Boston with some beautiful photos commemorating their time with their grandparents.