Brothers

Canon 5D Mark ll, 50 1.2L, 3.2 aperture, 1/400 shutter, 160 ISO

The images in this post of  Hudson and Aiden Fiddler, who came over with their daddy Brandon, to visit today. Brandon later likened our time photographing them to “herding cats”. Yes it was.:) But only because little boys are, well, little boys. I loved watching them play and wonder around curiously around the farm. The horses were definitely the hit of the day. I think Gunsmoke and Jackie knew we needed a little help and came over to settle things down a bit. It worked! So sweet.

How can you not love a little boy?  Full of life, tumbling in and out, scratched up and always moving. Grinning, climbing, conquering, proud and  beaming. Milk mustaches and wrestling matches. Rocks in their pockets and grass stains on their britches, little boys are so full of life. Every bug brings a new discovery, every fence a new adventure. Aren’t fences meant to climb?

Little boys grow up too fast. Tricycles turn into bicycles that turn into cars. Army men and legos pile up in the corner replaced by hunting gear and electric guitars. Voices change and plunge deep. It happens in the blink of an eye.

Hold them, hug them while you can.

Thanks for sharing them with me today, Brandon! Blessings to you all.

Gravel Road Race

Piled on the Fence

Horsey Visit

Sweet Hudson

Thinking

Curious Superhero

Beautiful Blues

Handsome Aiden

Conversation

Daddy Hug

It's a Converse Day

On Their Way

Canon 5D Mark ll, 50 1.2L, 2.2 aperture, 1/400 shutter, 200 ISO. (Totally Rad Action P.O.S  Lens used in Photoshop)

This was my first time, during this project, to ask someone I did not know if I could photograph them. In this case, I asked the mother of these two beautiful boys. My family and I were seated outside for dinner at P.F. Changs  when we saw them go tumbling by after one another. Katie let out an “awww” and a giggle. They were absolutely irresistible. Chris saw the look in my eye and encouraged me to go photograph them. They were playing in the outdoor area at the Mall. At first I resisted, saying that they didn’t know me. But, after a few minutes I couldn’t stand it anymore. I had to go see if I could photograph those sweet faces. I got up and walked over to where they were with my card in my hand. I introduced myself and asked  their mommy if I could photograph them for my project. Their mommy Rozy readily agreed. Thank you, Rozy!

Exploring Together

When I first saw them I thought they were twins. Turns out they are 10 months apart. They are so precious.  The oldest, Jessiah, is 3 and the youngest, Salmon, is 2. Rozy and her family are from Ethiopia. They are all beautiful. I met her Aunt and her cousin as well, all stunning women. I wish I had photographed them all together! Perhaps I will see them again soon.

Irresistible Jessiah

She explained to me that the younger one, Salmon, had been recently bitten in the face by a dog. The bite barely missed his eye and did not affect his sight, but he has had several surgeries already to try to correct the damage to the his face. He was listening as she spoke and tensed up a bit as she was explaining it to me. Bless his little heart, he is still traumatized by the memory. He is also still incredibly beautiful as you can see below.

Precious Salmon

I only got to spend a few minutes with this precious family, but I think I could have spent hours talking with Rozy and her Aunt Mimi and watching the boys play with their cousin Eman. Eman is 13. She is so lovely too!

Elegant Eman

I love spending time with people and hearing their stories. Katie suggested that I take 30 days and just interview and photograph strangers. I think I would like that, although it can be intimidating. Now that I have broken through the first barrier, maybe it will be easier from here on. We will see.

Here are a few more of these captivating boys. I could have watched them play all night. Beautiful, inside and out.

Soulful Eyes

Juicebox Happy

Getting His Dance On

Every year for some time now I have been going out to my good friends Keith and Kelly Anderson’s farm to photograph their beautiful boys. I love it. When you see the images below you will know why. They are so full of life, and we always have fun running around her farm from place to place laughing and giggling.  I can’t help laughing listening to them talk to one another, drop right on the spot and wrestle in the mud, chase chickens, and sometimes, I get them feeling pensive. The youngest, Ethan, is an old soul. He is the most like his mommy, I think. I can usually catch him standing with his hands in his pockets thinking about something important, I am sure. He is a love bug too, and I could just squeeze and kiss him all day. The middle one, Jonathan, comes up with the most amazing things to say. When I told him I couldn’t go with them to see Santa that night, he quipped ” it is such a hateful world”. I laughed about that all the way home with my Johnny, who assisted me on the shoot. Their oldest, Jack, is so funny too. He also comes out with hilarious things that sound like they came from a twenty-something man. All of them, amazing, and adorable.

Their mom, Kelly, is one of my dearest friends. She is wonderful through and through. She is a veterinarian, and therefore an instant hero for me. I always wanted to be one when I was a kid, but lacked the chemistry grades in high school.  She has both beauty and brains. You can’t beat it. There is always a potpourri of different animals and rescues at her place. She has a heart of gold and the animals always seem to find her. I am always at home there myself. It is a good place to be.

Enjoy the beautiful Anderson boys.~

I had the joy of photographing this handsome senior a couple weeks ago. Evan loves nature and the water, so we chose to go to Hurricane Shoals Park , where there are plenty of places for a young man to explore.  Aside from dropping my pocket wizard in the river ( which Johnny retrieved and rescued!), it was a very restful and enjoyable shoot. Here are just a few of our time with Evan.