Way back when I had the idea to think about taking the plunge into photographing people, I opened up an offer to my husband’s coworkers to have family portraits taken, with the disclaimer that they may not be the best, but hey, they’re free.  Chris and his wife Alison kindly took me up on that offer.  They had a young baby named Elliott and thought it would be a great chance to get some photos of him before the holidays.

Three years later, they’re still coming to me to do their annual autumn family portraits, and for that, I am so thankful.

We had a pretty gloomy, drizzly day to work with, but work with it we did.  Connor (the dog) was well-behaved, as usual, and sat oh-so-patiently waiting for Elliott to drop one of his cookies to the ground.  This year was particularly fun because Elliott talks a lot more, and definitely shows his personality.

Can we stop for a second and talk about how I risked life and limb (my limbs – not the tree) to get an overhead shot like this?  You know, when a photographer gets an idea in their head, there’s just no going back.  Anyway, I’m pleased with how it came out, so – woooooorth it.

Location: Claude Moore Park, Sterling, VA