Redhanded Photography Blog: [family portraits: The Straforelli Family]

I've known Phil since ... well ... let's see. His mom was my kindergarten teacher, his brother was in many of my classes growing up ... and his wife, Rebecca, I met at church over a decade ago while being involved in music department.

I've known them forever. *smile*

I have watched them over the last 10+ years, grow into an incredible family. Both highly educated, they are known for their love for God and family, their incredible wisdom and their loyalty to others

When Becca contacted me about getting their family pics done, we set a date - and I was so excited about capturing their family with my lens. But, the date rolled around, and as life would have it, we decided to reschedule to make things easier during the busy summer season.

So, last week, we headed to Fort Langley in the early evening - capturing some of my favourite family pics to date ...

Their kids are simply adorable ... each with their own distinct personality. Luc, the young man who loves to learn, to try new things, to offer ideas. Kate, with her sweet little toy - that she just decided she needed to have in every film frame. Amy, the youngest daughter who warmed up to the camera and struck a post whenever she thought I was snapping a pic. And Mason, the baby of the family who was pretty open about his distaste of our photoshoot right from the beginning ... *grin*.

As most of my Family Photoshoots are, the majority of the pics come from spontaneous happenings ... with the camera going constantly - because with four kids, you never know what's going to happen. And let's be honest - it's a rarity that all six family members are going to be "ready" at the same time. But I think that's what makes a great family pic - not capturing perfection, but capturing personality!

And after a while - the kids really started to get into it ... trying different smile, different poses - kisses, hugs, jumping on their parents *grin* ...

Phewf! ... that was a LONG post ... and it was so hard to choose which pics to share. Depending on each shoot, and the size of the family, I can find myself taking hundreds of photos. With this fam? They ended up with 150+ pics. With six individuals, and so many combinations of groupings, it's easy to get a little crazy *grin* ...

Phil, Becca - thank YOU so much for choosing me to take your family pics. I always get a wee bit nervous shooting friends and their kids - I always want to produce the very best for all of my clients - but with friends, I want to make sure that I don't ever disappoint *wink*.