It was probably the hottest day of the year, the morning I met up with this amazingly gorgeous family. It was already 95 with extreme humidity at 7:45am as I was driving up to Havre de Grace to meet them. They were total troopers, though! We tried to stick to the shade to keep everyone from melting, and I had to pull my magical reflector-fan trick to keep the little one cool, but we got some fantastic images to celebrate the little guy’s first birthday!

I love it when families are so comfortable with each other that they can just play and play, as if I wasn’t there. My favorite portraits are those where everyone is so into each other, so into the moment, that they don’t even notice me. I’m just an innocent bystander, peeking into their lives, documenting these moments for the years to come.

© jen snyder photography

Talk about energy! This guy was full of it, keeping me on my toes and giving me a nice work out. We jumped, we ran, we soared.

I love the interaction between mom and son. They have a great bond that is almost tangible.

© jen snyder photography

I think I say this in every blog post– but I love maternity sessions. I think they are one of my favorites (family sessions being my all time favorite). This mama-to-be was no exception. We were losing light fast (funny how that works at sunset!) and she put up with all my crazy ideas, from picnics (watermelon was her #1 craving, I always love to work those cravings in) to standing IN the bushes and trees.

I was even more excited when I found out her mom was coming, so it’s sort of a three-generations portrait as well. They had such a great relationship and could just look at each other and start laughing. This is going to be one loved baby!

© jen snyder photography

I met with this family for a mini session recently, and couldn’t get enough of their gorgeous little red-haired daughter. She’s such a happy little baby! She was such a mama’s girl, and I loved documenting their relationship in this mother-daughter session.

© jen snyder photography

This handsome baby was in a hurry to see the world– he made his way into the world 4 weeks early! He seemed like such a little peanut (but then again, mine was just shy of 10 lbs when he was born so most newborns feel like peanuts to me!). But he slept so easily and so deeply for me that posing was a breeze.

I did all the posed baby shots as usual, but today I want to share the more lifestyle images. These are the ones I really love– they are a better image of the depth of the love for this baby.

© jen snyder photography