Angel, Mike & four more | Documentary family photography

Angel photographed George and me more than a year ago and it took us all this time to round up her fam and find a time when we both could do a shoot. On top of that, I'm crap at getting a bunch of kids to smile for the camera (even really well-versed kids like Angels'), so I insisted we do a documentary family session - where I would photograph them doing some activity, pretty much how they would be doing it anyway. The trip to get the Christmas tree was born! It was so cold. But they had one of those stick-your-face-in-the-slot things and I just love those. I'm one of the tribe, so I had never witnessed this Christmas tree thing before.  Sure, I've seen them in peoples' houses and decorated a mini tree or two in my sacrilegious abode, but never saw the living-tree-to-decoration process.  It is involved. Jeesh you people make it hard on yourselves!  Mike had to saw the tree down. While everyone looked on appreciatively. We snuck in a few portraits. Tree procured, it was hot cocoa time in the barn. Some of my favorite images from this session are from the ten minutes the girls spent on the playground.  The unexpected and unplanned often make for the most interesting, dramatic images. While the mens took the tree from outrageously huge to just massive, the girls decorated cookies. A little bit of decor on the thing and then I had to say goodbye. Thanks Angel, Mike and everyone else!