The Tutu Inspired Shoot {expressing yourself}

My 5 year old daughter, Kimberly loves when I photograph her.  This wasn't always the case...as a baby/toddler it was difficult at times getting her stay in front of the camera for any length of time & even more difficult than that, was getting her to smile.  As a parent, I understand the importance of your child's cooperation during a photo session, but one very important thing I've learned from a photographer's perspective is letting your child express themselves in their unique way.  This photo-shoot was all about Kimberly - I let her pick out her clothes & even let her choose her own poses - she could smile if she wanted to, or not - I left it completely up to her.  I took these images almost 2 months ago, uploaded them, quickly skimmed through all of them, chose one image to share via Facebook, and then didn't even come back to them until today.  After looking through all of them in depth, I realized that I captured my beautiful daughter in her true essence.  By letting my child express herself in front of the camera allowed me the chance to document something of value & something I will cherish forever.  Sometimes it's not always about the perfect smile and/or pose, but all about  capturing something unique - something you didn't even know was there - and something you never want to forget.

This middle image is one of my favorites from this shoot! When Kimberly first positioned herself in this pose I thought "OK, not what I would do, but I'll roll with it", but after seeing it, I instantly fell in love with it.