This time of year in Orange County is SO beautiful – the weather is gorgeous, the flowers are blooming… it really is the perfect time to take family portraits. So I was super excited to get out into the sunshine and take photos of this awesome family!

And I have to say that I absolutely LOVED LOVED LOVED the Keitel Family! They were so relaxed and laid-back and really seemed to have fun. Of course I came to find out towards the end of the shoot that they have connections to my home state of Michigan, so it’s no wonder they are so cool! 🙂

Before the shoot I had emailed Brianna to ask her about her adorable little daughter, Holly. And she told me that she can be a bit hesitant in front of the camera, and specifically with people that she doesn’t know — not so great when you are hoping for a few smiling pictures! So while looking through my supply of kid-friendly, happy-child-making props it hit me. What do little kids love more than anything (other than candy of course)? Bigger kids! So, I checked with my 9-year old daughter, Sydney, to see if she would like to come along on my shoot (which of course she did since she begs to come to every one of my shoots).

So my secret weapon has been launched and she did a great job! She was able to get Holly to forget that she was in front of a camera (and more importantly to forget that she didn’t know the strange woman behind the camera!). She and Holly played with bubbles and Littlest Pet Shop cards and they both had a blast! In fact, I did too! 🙂

Thanks Keitel Family…  It was a ton of fun! Enjoy your slideshow!