Brendan & Meredith at the Sunken Gardens in Lincoln, Nebraska

Last week took me to the Sunken Gardens for a photo shoot with two beautiful toddler cousins, Brendan and Meredith.  The occasion: they both fit in homemade outfits that had been made for their mothers when the mothers were toddlers! So their moms wanted some photos to celebrate the next generation of awesome-sailor-outfit-wearers. (The photo above is probably my favorite. I just can't stop looking into her eyes.)



It wasn't the best location.  My shots were therefore very "tight" and close.  The closeness really gave my new lens a chance to shine, though!  And while I was also a bit disappointed that the sun wasn't out much, that of course made for some very clean, even and shadow-free images.

The only challenge, other than the rather bland location, was simply keeping these (really adorable) kids together for any length of time!  Anyone who's been around toddlers for, oh, ten minutes knows that you can't really make them do anything.  I ended up just chasing each individual one as they scurried around the park, doing their own thing (except when they were bribed with candy).

As I worked my way through these photos on my computer, I was really struck by the subtle, spontaneous emotion in these kids' faces and eyes.  Their expressions are simply arresting.  I hope you enjoy seeing them as much as I enjoyed taking them.