Blank Space Taylor and her mom.

Feels like I’ve known this family forever. I remember every session I’ve ever had with them in great detail, but I don’t think any other session has ever come this close to being more meaningful and invaluable as this one. I know that they are very thankful for the present…as in the now…as in each day they get to have together as a family (you can read why below). Last year and the months following were an incredibly scary and challenging time for them and it hit me like a ton of bricks after I got home from this session and saw how absolutely LUCKY they are to have their family back together and healthy again. And how impressed I am with this man’s strength and ability to recover. Before I go, that last image up there is my favorite, for sure. Rivaled closely by this one.

From Mom:

1) Tell us a little bit about your family… We missed out on our annual photo shoot in 2014 after Marcus came down with GBS from the flue vaccine and we are coming up on the 1 year anniversary and wanted to document his ongoing recovery.
2) What made you decide this was the time to do a photo session? Were you marking any special occasion, etc? Yes — living in the moment and grateful for each day together.
3) Where was your session held and why? Downtown with a Dia de los Muertos theme to celebrate the living and honor those that have passed.
4) What did you like about your session location? Murals, capturing the morning light and downtown vibe
5) What was your favorite part of your session? Always seeing Michele and the girls getting their annual scratch & sniff stickers 🙂
6) Was there anything you were nervous or worried about before the session? Nope, we are regulars and always trust Pinkle Toes to capture the moment in time in a natural and candid way
7) Any funny stories or interesting happenings during your session? We didn’t get pooped on by the pigeons and the girls didn’t eat any left over pizza off the street from the night before 🙂
8) Any advice to other families before their photo sessions? Plan plan plan, working with Michele on the theme and attire
9) What made you choose Pinkle Toes Photography? No brainer — she’s the best!
10) What do you hope your kids/family will say years down the road when looking at these images? That’s my dad! He’s healthy, happy and alive!

My, oh my, it is crazy to think I’ve quite literally watched these little ones grow up on my camera. And how awesome it is to get to see their baby features melt away and their little personalities shine through–even if it’s with that pretty impressive pouty face Mr. Man is giving me up there ;-0.  It didn’t last long, though. Once we made our way back to their home and he could “grill” for his Papa, all was right with the world again. Of course, the pupster, Troop, always makes an appearance in their family photo sessions and he happens to be in my favorite from this session HERE.

And from the beautiful K, herself:

1) Tell us a little bit about your family… We are a fun but crazy family of 4 (5 including our awesome dog, Troop) trying to juggle it all! With 2 active kiddos, we enjoy the outdoors and exploring Austin.
2) What made you decide this was the time to do a photo session? Were you marking any special occasion, etc? We love our yearly family photo sessions with PT! I cherish all the memories we’ve had Michele capture for our family, dating back to when Kline was just 7 days old.
3) Where was your session held and why? We chose Laguna Gloria this year because their grounds and facilities are so beautiful. We had a session here in the past and absolutely loved it (minus the crazy curator monitoring our every move)! Even though we didn’t get inside this year (their Solarium is my fav), we found some cool spots outside.
4) What did you like about your session location? I loved how it was casual and stress-free this year! We ended the session on our top floor roof deck, eating popcorn and drinking punch while the sun set.
5) What was your favorite part of your session? Just being together as a family on our deck. It was obvious everyone was back in their element and super relaxed. Great way to end the session!
6) Was there anything you were nervous or worried about before the session? I was a little nervous that our youngest was going to get distracted and run the opposite direction or have a pouty-face the entire time. He’s my moody one….
7) Any funny stories or interesting happenings during your session? We had a little run-in with some fire ants by the water at LG. It could’ve been a disaster, but we escaped with only a couple whelps.
8) Any advice to other families before their photo sessions? Don’t stress and HAVE FUN! As easy as that may seem, I’m usually guilty of stressing over outfits, last minute details, are we going to make it there on time?, etc. This year I took a step back and just let it flow …..without any increase in my heart rate. Success on my end!
9) What made you choose Pinkle Toes Photography? Because Michele is truly a genius behind the camera and she loves us for who we are – a real, crazy, wild family.
10) What do you hope your kids/family will say years down the road when looking at these images? Oh man, probably that my kids will look back and say “you dressed me in that?!”.

Words that come to mind when I think of my evening spent with this family:

Busy, bustling, boisterous, creative, reading, books, art, collections, exploring, wonder, amusement, laughter, love, family, home, together, comfortable, at ease, happy, admiration, and peacefully chaotic.

There was so much to capture about this family…they are such a dynamic bunch. This session felt so real to me…so authentic. The little guy holding the frog up there…he was SOOOOO excited we found him in the pool! And THIS look on his sister’s face when she was oh, so curious but a bit timid as well was definitely my fav! The fact that the oldest brother was still holding his book even while snuggling with his mom was priceless. The way baby sister fits into her family so naturally and watching everyone try to win her affections made me smile. They’ve got quite the family here and it was not difficult at all to bring out their bond on camera.

Lucky me, this was my second time getting to work with Courtney and her fam this year. We had our session date planned around the blooming of the “Blazing Star” AKA “Purple Gayfeather” out here by the Pinkle Toes Studio and let me tell you, we had it on the books for what seemed like a very, very long time. But of course, wouldn’t you know? This year, we got like 5 branches of these purple flowers and I was so afraid she would be bummed with the turnout.

Okay, maybe it was more than five ;-).

But the girls totally didn’t care. They were waaaaaaay into my chickens.

And making yellow flower bouquets for their mommy.

And just being all-around adorable.

Those three images of the two of them up there? I love, love, love them. Especially when they got photobombed by their girls. Bwa ha ha!

We also got to introduce everyone to the passion vine, which smelled soooooo delightful!

And then, the Texas version of fall (ie. if you don’t have a fall, you make one ;-). My FAV HERE.

I got apples as props for the girls to play with, but I had no idea how much they LOVED apples. They didn’t last very long as they were gobbled up rather quickly.

And, from Courtney:

1) Tell us a little bit about your family… My husband and I have two amazing little girls. Ava, who is 3.5, is our “princess” who loves to play dress up. She Liv just turned 2 and is our little tomboy who is adventurous and loves to climb on anything.
2) What made you decide this was the time to do a photo session? Were you marking any special occasion, etc? We planned this session close to Liv’s 2 year birthday and are already planning to schedule our next session 🙂
3) Where was your session held and why? We decided to do the session at Michele’s house. She has an amazing property with so many areas to shoot at.
4) What did you like about your session location? It was something different than we have done before and we just loved it out there! It was beautiful and rustic.
5) What was your favorite part of your session? I think my favorite part was when the girls were on the wooden swing. They had been excited about that swing from the moment we got there. The sun was setting at just the right moment and we were just having a good time and laughing.
6) Was there anything you were nervous or worried about before the session? Since working with Michele, I have never been nervous 🙂
7) Any funny stories or interesting happenings during your session? As soon as we showed up to Michele’s house, Ava “LOVED” everything about it. She literally kept telling not only Michele that she loved her, but she loved her “puter”, her camera, her house, her car, anything she saw. She was in la-la land and I loved that.
8) Any advice to other families before their photo sessions? I think Michele does an awesome job at preparing you for your session. I also always talk a lot about the upcoming session and the fun place we are going to go and we talk about what we want to do or see during our session so that once we are there, they are excited about those things.
9) What made you choose Pinkle Toes Photography? I absolutely LOVE Michele. As a photographer, I have admired her work and this is now our second time to shoot with her. I always look forward to the session and working with her. My girls are completely at ease and love playing with her. Michele is fun, laid-back and allows my girls to just be themselves and shoots as natural as possible which makes our time together less stressful and fun.
10) What do you hope your kids/family will say years down the road when looking at these images? I know years down the road we will enjoy these photos as much if not more than we do today. I hope in years to come, we are sitting around our living room looking through them, laughing and telling stories about how much fun we had.

I’ve been mulling over this post in my head for YEARS (no lie) trying to come up with the a guide to helping families make the most out of their photo session experiences. While editing these images for Kody (a photographer herself!), I realized that her session was one of the BEST examples for what to do to get meaningful, authentic, fun, and relaxed family images. (Kody, I hope you don’t mind being the star student tonight ;-). So here you go…these are my Top Ten Tips to Having a Perfect Family Photo Session (or as close to perfect as you can get):

1. Make it authentic to YOUR family. Kody lives on a farm. They spend most of their days there at home and playing outdoors.  One of her favorite parts of the day is getting dressed with her baby girl and it was very important to her that we captured this memory and this time. These photos are very authentic to her family and I know they will trigger powerful memories for her and her kiddos down the road.

(My favorite image from the “getting ready.” Please have this up somewhere on her wedding day. kthanksbye.)

2. Hold your session in a place that’s meaningful to you…in this case HOME! Truly. Being at home for your session allows us the chance to photograph memories for you and your children that you/they might not even realize until years and years later. Plus, everyone is more comfortable at home and there are usually no surprises (traffic, crowds, closures, etc.). If the kids get hungry, break for a snack (see below). If something spills on an outfit, change clothes. Easy. Peasy.

3. Grown ups should be just as involved in the photos as their children. You can’t expect your kids to take a photo shoot seriously or even want to be a part of it if you’re not willing to do so yourself. I love, love, love that these two are excellent role models for their kiddos for photo sessions (and actually, life in general).

4. Let your kids be. Think for a moment if you had some stranger with a big ol’ camera in your face AND your parents were constantly telling you, “Smile! Smile! No, not that way! A *real* smile!” Would you be able to smile a real smile? Would you want that to last for an HOUR or more?? Probably not. Take a cue from this mommy and daddy and just hang out with your children. Snuggle and play and tickle and be silly and let your actions and love bring out those natural, real, authentic smiles (read: laughter) in your children instead of barking commands or threats or bribes.

5. Go with the flow and let us create together. Yes, it’s important to have an overall vision for your session, but keep it broad enough so that you leave room for you and your photographer to create. Kody did a great job of this, telling me a couple of key moments she wanted captured, but then stepping back and letting me go wherever the kids and the light took us. If we were having to stick with a Pinterest Board of 30 different family poses and five outfit changes and a super detailed shot list, we would never have had the time or been open to seeing amazing photographic opportunities as they played out all on their own.

6. Pad your schedule. While this typically doesn’t apply to a session at home, it is probably a good idea no matter what to simply add about 15 minutes before AND after your scheduled shoot time. SOOOOOO much goes into setting a shoot start time and it is not arbitrary by any stretch of the imagination.  If you’re late to your session (even by just a few minutes) OR if you arrive on time, but you still have to get dressed/put on make-up/eat dinner/knit an afgahan,  that will cause a domino effect and you may miss out on amazing light or amazing temperatures or inadvertently shorten your session time.

Surprisingly, the same principle applies to after your session, too. It’s not a good idea to schedule something right after because #1 everyone is probably going to be tired and hungry and #2 it adds pressure to finish a session exactly at a certain time which can put a damper on creativity.

Once again, these guys get an A+ in this department. Of course, their session ran long because it was soooooooooooo good, but fortunately, they had no where else they had to be…except in bed, which also provided some wonderful photographic moments for us.

7. Dress comfortably and be willing to get dirty. If you’re trying to chase around after your kids in stilettos and your hubby is miserable in a suit and tie in 100 degree weather and your kids are fussy because their clothes are scratchy or uncomfortable…well, it becomes a losing battle trying to keep everyone happy. I totally understand wanting to dress up your family (I definitely do it for my family’s pics), but just try to be reasonable in your choices. Kody did a fantastic job of having everyone look nice, but also feeling comfortable. She let her kids play in the dirt (YES!!!!!!!) and she even got down there herself (DOUBLE YESSSSSSSSSS!!!).  Trust me, her babies are going to CHERISH these images when they get older.

8. Never assume we can just “…Photoshop that out…” (or in ;-). Yes, photographers have tools and tricks to help make images as pleasing as possible, but some things are just not simple fixes or cannot be addressed in 60+ images. If your child gets a boo-boo (especially on the face) right before the session, send your photographer a photo so s/he can decide what to do. If someone cannot make it to your session last minute, let your photographer know, because no, we can’t just Photoshop that person in ;-). If someone is wearing glasses/transition glasses, again, let your photographer know ahead of time so plans can be made. There are a multitude of examples and I can’t possibly name them all, so when in doubt, just talk to your photographer BEFORE the session. Kody totally gets this and there were no Photoshop surprises waiting for me when I arrived at their house (xoxoxoxoxo).

9. Enjoy the experience. It sounds so simple, but when the time comes for your actual photo session, your hard work is already done. It’s the photographer’s turn to take over, so you can just sit back, relax, and gush over your beautiful family. Don’t get upset with your kids if you think they aren’t cooperating. Instead, help your photographer find something that will keep them happy (once again, these parents were wonderful at redirection and keeping the kiddos involved and entertained). Family photos do not have to be a miserable experience for you or your kids and the best way to keep it positive is to be positive yourself. If you are anxious, your kids will pick up on that and become anxious themselves. If you’re calm and having a good time, they will eventually mirror your reactions.

10. Do it again. Children change SOOOOOO quickly and so do the dynamics of your family. Letting 5 years pass without pausing to record this metamorphosis is time lost that doesn’t come back. Yes, we are fortunate to live in a day when we can easily get snapshots with our mobile phones and that’s awesome for getting day-to-day memories captured, but it’s a very different experience allowing a photographer to show you what s/he sees in your family. Family photo sessions are kinda like going to the gym. Sure, it’s tough at first, but once you do it enough, it becomes familiar and a bit easier and more relaxed each time. (Okay, maybe the gym comparison isn’t 100% accurate, ‘cuz yeah, I will never feel relaxed after leaving the gym, but you get the idea 😉

P.S. This family totally gets bonus points for the red hair and freckles ;-).

And finally, from Kody (an amazing photographer herself):

1) Tell us a little bit about your family… My husband and I with our two little red heads are about as goofy as it gets. We love our life out in the farm and cherish the privilege we have to raise our kids in a quiet environment like in the “good ole days.”

2) What made you decide this was the time to do a photo session? Were you marking any special occasion, etc? This is the third year we’ve used Michele to capture our family. I enjoy the colors of fall and the cooler temperatures so we always try to book in October.

3) Where was your session held and why? At home, we want images that reflect our everyday life.

4) What did you like about your session location? Michele found so many forms of inspiration on our property. I see the homestead as a bit unfinished (as we are still getting the place just right) but she was able to find so many spots with hidden beauty I never would have thought of.

5) What was your favorite part of your session? The end with all of us reading he’d time stories just like we do every night. It’s a special time in our life with the kids this age and I wanted images of this to hold onto when the kids no longer want us reading stories and tucking them into bed.

6) Was there anything you were nervous or worried about before the session? Not at all, Michele is the best at what she does. Being a photographer myself I’m extremely picky when it comes to our images. Michele is the best at genuine moments on camera, crispy clean images and wonderful memories.

7) Any funny stories or interesting happenings during your session? Our daughter is going through her becoming independent stage, and fought against every moment of babying we tried to throw her way.

8) Any advice to other families before their photo sessions? Relax, getting your picture taken is an awkward feeling. But if you just trust Michele and allow yourself to have fun she will make magic happen!

9) What made you choose Pinkle Toes Photography? She’s the best at what she does, candid moments with real interactions between family members.

10) What do you hope your kids/family will say years down the road when looking at these images? Wow we had a magical childhood on the farm!

I am lucky enough to call Minnette my friend and it was pretty moving after all these years to finally get to see her in her truest element: being a doting mom and wife, so proud of her family, glowing from the inside out. And even though I had only met her daughter just once before, it was as if I already knew everyone else. There was zero need to warm up. It was like I was hanging out with my own family, really. They are a dynamic brood of creatives and athletes with lots and lots of heart and soul. They color their world with love and light. I hope they can see how much joy they bring to one another and to the people lucky enough to be close to them.

So why is her hubby holding up iPhone flashlights? Read about that below ;-). We did manage to score some adorable images at this wall in spite of the challenge…this one is a top contender for my fav.

From Minnette:

1) Tell us a little bit about your family… Well, what can I say? We like to be silly, keep things as relaxed as we can and make a lot of jokes. We loooove to laugh. At each other. All the time. [Um, for what it’s worth, I have a GREAT image on hand you can use to get your kids to laugh anytime you want ;-)]
2) What made you decide this was the time to do a photo session? Were you marking any special occasion, etc? As a photographer, the only time I’m in photos is when I’m taking usies with the cell phone and honestly, my arms just aren’t long enough ;). Seriously though, we have been wanting to have you photograph our family for a very long time and are so happy we were finally able to make it happen. It was even more special to me, that YOU, my superfriend, knew us
3) Where was your session held and why? Downtown Houston because we love our underdog city and Montrose because it was our old stompin’ grounds.
4) What did you like about your session location? Both were just so us. [Indeed!]
5) What was your favorite part of your session? It was FUN! Let’s be honest. My kids aren’t thrilled about getting their photos taken anymore. They are over it. But it was very apparent that they loved you and the attention you gave them. I loved seeing them so happy to be there. [Honestly, I think they were happy because they were there with YOU guys. You two are such amazing and loving parents. It’s obvious the kids adore you!]
6) Was there anything you were nervous or worried about before the session? Our outfits. We didn’t buy anything new and I put it all together that morning. That Nathan wouldn’t smile or would give you a hard time. That I would not look good. That my hair and makeup were bad because I did them myself. That we would get stuck in traffic. That the locations would be full of people. Basically, all the things!
7) Any funny stories or interesting happenings during your session? I took forever finding our 2nd location making the end of our session super dark. doh! [Yeah, thanks for the challenge ;-)]
8) Any advice to other families before their photo sessions? Relax, enjoy each other’s company and be yourselves.
9) What made you choose Pinkle Toes Photography? I always have and still do think Michele is super talented and the best at what she does. And she’s my superfriend and I heart her. And now my whole family does, too 😉
10) What do you hope your kids/family will say years down the road when looking at these images? That we were always happy and we loved spending time with each other. [Done.]

So, when I was in Houston a few weeks back, I got to meet the newest addition to this family and honestly, I just didn’t want to leave. I had so much fun getting to hang out with them in their beautiful home and watching big brother and big sister love all over their baby sister. I’m not sure if I’ve ever laughed so much at a newborn photo session in all my photography days…and let me tell you, the parents are just as hilarious as the kiddos. And when they’re not being hilarious, they are being so very, very sweet.

And then, when we finished up all of the sweet newborn snuggly photos, we did what everyone naturally does at the end of their newborn photo shoot: DANCE PARTY!  

And these guys take their dance parties VERY SERIOUSLY. This was for real. Complete with lights, custom sound, and a robot dance off. Like I said, I was cracking up the whole time and feeling like these three children were very, very, very lucky to have such cool parents like this.

From mom:

1) Tell us a little bit about your family… We are chaotic and silly and a mixed bag trying to navigate life as a family of five. We have lost any notion that we can control anything, and when we try, it is a complete fail. But we love each other and we learn all the time how to do that better.
2) What made you decide this was the time to do a photo session? Were you marking any special occasion, etc? Baby Ruby arrived!
3) Where was your session held and why? At our home because we couldn’t possibly get all five of us dressed and to a location and all be in a good mo about it. I hear this is possible later, though.
4) What did you like about your session location? It was the cleanest the house has been in months. Seriously. Months. Also, it made it very laid back and we just had fun.
5) What was your favorite part of your session? Hard to say whether it was the robot dance off or the battle over the smelly stickers.
6) Was there anything you were nervous or worried about before the session? Lactating all over myself. [bwa ha ha ha – that’s a new one on me!]
7) Any funny stories or interesting happenings during your session? Dance party again here. And August and Matilda wrestling. Standard.
8) Any advice to other families before their photo sessions? Relax and just enjoy your family. [Truly…relaxed parents make for relaxed kids and babies which all make for a relaxed and AUTHENTIC family photo session.]
9) What made you choose Pinkle Toes Photography? Michele. Done and done. [xoxoxo]
10) What do you hope your kids/family will say years down the road when looking at these images? They love each other and they have fun!

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And now, I have to share a couple of outtakes – this was our first attempt at getting a solid family pic:

And then big sister totally smothering her baby sister with love:

She dressed her family in the most colorful outfits and we worked in front of one of the most colorful places in downtown Houston and it was SO perfect for them!!!! FAV HERE!

It took the youngest member of the family a little while to warm up to me, but it didn’t matter because he was still adorable giving me this incredulous look ;-).

No problems smiling with his mommy, though!

Sisters. Sigh. See what mom wrote below for the total opposite of the love and tranquility in this shot.

He. Is. Precious.

These two…just play all the time. They are always laughing with one another!

Hi, K!

Oh, he wanted to take pictures with his baby brother like the WHOLE time. Okay. We can arrange that.

MORE COLOR!!!

Yup…back at it again.

From mom:

1) Tell us a little bit about your family…

Our little circus is made up of my husband and myself, and our four crazy kiddos (8, 6, 3, and 11 months). They are indeed a wild bunch and rarely sit still for a moment. But we’ve adapted and we love them to pieces!

2) What made you decide this was the time to do a photo session? Were you marking any special occasion, etc?

We have a longstanding tradition of taking pictures every fall, and then turning those photos into a coffee table book and wall art.

3) Where was your session held and why?

We always try to pick interesting locations whether it be splashing around in a stream, jumping on a bed, or hanging out in front of Michele’s airstream (my favorite). This time we went to Houston’s famous Discovery Green park. How can you not love that brightly colored wall, which our kids have dubbed, “the Lego house”?!

4) What did you like about your session location?

I loved the colorful wall and all the interesting architectural elements that were nestled in the middle of a city park.

5) What was your favorite part of your session?

Probably the end when I asked Michele if she thought we got at least one good family photo. She assured us that we did! 🙂 [And we did, but I’m saving that one for you]

6) Was there anything you were nervous or worried about before the session?

I was nervous about getting up so early with the kids. [But you did it and I was very impressed!]

7) Any funny stories or interesting happenings during your session?

The highlight was probably when our three year old, who was trying to run off, bit the fire out of our eight old’s arm. Tears ensued. 🙁 [Sisters. Sigh]

8) Any advice to other families before their photo sessions?

Just relax. You will be amazed by what Michele is able to capture.

9) What made you choose Pinkle Toes Photography?

Michele is simply the best family photographer in the world! She is absolutely amazing!! I love her creativity, the way she plays with light, and the way she captures the beauty in the families she photographs.

10) What do you hope your kids/family will say years down the road when looking at these images?

I hope they remember the joy of being little, the feeling that nothing can stop them, the intrinsic curiosity they had about the world, and that they grew up in a family filled with love!

I admit that I nearly wrecked my car when I spotted this wall a while back. It was so nice to stumble upon something a little different and SOOOOO beautifully colorful among the bold, cool Austin graffiti. And I was delighted when this family decided to hold their photo session here! It made for the perfect backdrop against their bright, colorful clothing that simply reflected their bright, colorful personalities.

Baby girl was a big fan of sticking out that tongue…and it was too adorable!

Playing airplane while holding an airplane in front of an airplane wall = we are talking multidimensional family photography here.

And here’s another cute shot featuring the whole wall.

Time for reading their favorite books. I wish I had taken audio of the AWESOME voices everyone was providing!

And then…the high school band started up their practice across the street, so naturally, we decided to compete ;-):

#winning

These two are a wonderful, loving, relaxed, joyful, down-to-earth couple. Obvs. It really took zero time for them to warm up for the session.

Time to celebrate ONE YEAR with a cupcake smash!

Success!!!

From mom:

1) Tell us a little bit about your family…

We have been married for 11 years and have been living in Austin for a little over a year. Andrew (almost 4) and Alison (almost 1) are the light of our lives and we love watching them interact with each other and seeing their personalities shine through!

2) What made you decide this was the time to do a photo session? Were you marking any special occasion, etc?

Andrew and Alison both have birthdays in early October so we wanted to capture them around their birthdays.

3) Where was your session held and why?

Our session was held at the “Hello” wall. I wanted to do an urban shoot in a space unique to Austin, so Michele suggested the wall and it was perfect!

4) What did you like about your session location?

It was just a neat space with lots of bright colors. It even had an airplane painted on it, and Andrew is obsessed with airplanes!

5) What was your favorite part of your session?

Playing the instruments and trying to be louder than the high school band practicing across the street! Also, watching Alison dig into her birthday cupcake 🙂

6) Was there anything you were nervous or worried about before the session?

The humidity ha ha! The kids getting tired, hungry and crabby (but they did great!)

7) Any funny stories or interesting happenings during your session?

Going back to the humidity… we just weren’t expecting that. [True story: I would rank it is one of the top 3 most humid sessions I’ve ever done. It was BRUTAL, but everyone hung in there!]

8) Any advice to other families before their photo sessions?

Just go with the flow.

9) What made you choose Pinkle Toes Photography?

I had been following Pinkle Toes blog and love the vivid colors and overall fun atmosphere the photos depict.

10) What do you hope your kids/family will say years down the road when looking at these images?

That we had a really fun silly time getting photographed!