April 17th, 2021, 6:45 pm.
When I arrived at Ramona Grasslands, I saw the Olson family in the distance and smiled. They were playing in the field, laughing, enjoying the sun slowly setting behind us. Mom was glowing, Dad looked as sharp as ever, and don't even get me started on her two adorable boys.
We began walking to our location and not even moments later, Chase falls flat onto the floor. White shirt covered in dust and dirt, tears starting to fill his eyes. Immediate panic rushes over me... this is never how you want to start a session! But Dad came to Chase's side within seconds and calmly asks him if he can clap his hands, shake his head, and wiggle his bum. Chase followed everything his dad asked of him and began to laugh. I asked if he could still smile? And of course, he showed me the cheesiest grin his face would allow! All the dirt was able to be brushed off, even though super Mom came prepared for such an event with a bunch of backup options just in case!
I thought to myself how differently that could have gone if Mom started to stress out, if Dad said "well if you weren't being silly, this wouldn't have happened," but that didn't happen. They were all up and dancing for photos seconds later!
I often love finding one moment during a session that sticks out to me and this was it. It showed the compassion and patience they're teaching their boys. That moment showed Chase that it's okay to fall down, just get back up, and shake it off! The rest of the session, they hugged, cuddled, kissed, played games, and laughed at Chase waving to complete strangers watching him get his photos taken. It was a beautiful night as we were racing to get photos against a fast setting sun, here is how they came out...
