An Impromptu Kid Session

One of my favorite things about photography is capturing the smiles of children...and not the kind that result from a command to "say cheese" or "smile for the camera", but the wonderfully organic smiles that come from within. Another one of my favorite things is being a mom! My Averie can be a little ham in front of the camera when she wants to be, but let's face it, she is still a 5 year-old... and sometimes that requires thinking outside the box a bit; like putting my adult-size sunglasses on her little face because she decided she didn't want mom to take any more pictures after an exhausting 5 minutes of modeling ;)

I took these shots just after picking her up from school last week. There was no preparation or planning involved, just a quick decision to take advantage of some pretty weather and a stop at home to change out of her school clothes and fix what I like to call her Nick Nolte hair ;) When we got to the open field down the street from our house, I was short on props, so I scavenged the car to find a pair of Averie's sunglasses, a winter hat, and a purple umbrella. Below are the results.

I liked the location so much, I decided to take Averie back after school again the following day (although not as long). She was so patient the day before. Two nice days in a row with all the cold weather we've been getting?! I just couldn't justify NOT going out and making a few more photographs...