oberlender: just play

All of the wonderful humans that I have had the pleasure of working with could attest to the fact that one of the things that I say most often during our time together is, "just play." This family was so sweet with each other, and I am grateful for the afternoon I spent with them. They smiled, they played, and they handled it when rocks got stuck in shoes and little ones tumbled to the ground. Playing together is one of my favorite things, whether you are a couple in love, a big family, or posing solo for your senior photos. Barking "say cheese" over and over with someone seated in a perfectly posed position is simply not my style. I'd much rather let you have fun, and capture real memories. Yes, I have a camera and am taking countless pictures of you. Yes, I will give you ideas of where to stand and what to do with your hands (Mostly because I know how awkward I feel when I don't know where to put my hands.). Yes, I will try my darndest to get a photo of everyone smiling. Yes, you are all dressed to the 10s and you want these pictures to be beautiful. But here's the thing, they will be SO much more beautiful if I let you, your love, your kids, your dog be yourself and just enjoy this time when you aren't washing the dishes, supervising homework, filing your taxes, etc. If you can just let go for these few moments, just enjoy being together, we can have so much fun and this time itself will become a real and lovely memory.