Esther, Zach, Elijah + 1

I met Esther and her family in the fall for a mini session at the Public Garden and fell in love with her son Elijah’s infectious smile right from the start. Now he is getting ready to welcome his baby brother Noah in early June so we met at the Esplanade last Saturday for a shoot that would document this pregnancy and capture this family as they get ready to expand from a party of 3 to a party of 4.

Actually, “party” is the perfect word to reference any family that just happens to bring along their son’s awesome Superman costume for a photo shoot.  As we walked around the Esplanade during the shoot, Esther said that she brought the costume because she wanted family photos that capture who her family really is.  That made my day because it’s exactly what I hope that family sessions capture and it’s why I secretly hope that I always get at least a few photos that include the tattered stuffed bears or the beloved binky or whatever it was that your kids held on to so tightly at that time in their life.  It’s part of the story.

My almost 5 year old smiled when she saw me editing the photos and said, “But why is he wearing that, mama? It’s not Halloween.” (this from a girl who alternates between hanging out at home in her underwear or any assortment of Princess costumes on any day of the week). I said, “No, it’s not. But he loves Superman. That’s just who he is.”   She nodded sort of knowingly, looked at the pictures again and said, “I like him”.

I knew just what she meant.