Creating this post has reminded me that there are so many reasons why I love being a dad. But as I write, there’s one reason in particular that seems most pertinent to me right now. No matter what kind of day I’ve been having or what kind of stress is going on in my life, when I see my little girl’s face light up when she sees me and then comes running to my outstretched arms, all that stress goes away. And all it really took was to see her smile. That smile is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my life – ever. And as I reflect on the fact that today has been one of “those days,” I remember her smile as if I saw it only moments ago – that smile that I’ve captured literally thousands of times before in all of its permutations with my cameras… That smile that warms my heart and makes me realize what is most important in life…  and why I started photographing kids in the first place… to capture moments of sheer joy and emotion so that when we gaze at our photographs, we are reminded once again how wonderful it is to be parents.

And that leads me to this post… yes, finally! This adorable little guy gave us all quite a workout, but the results are just spectacular! I imagine his parents feeling that same kind of heartwarming joy when they see these photographs too. Which is also why I wanted to share a few of the images in hopes of getting everyone’s weekend off to a good start. For our session, we ventured to Milpitas for some shots around nature and quickly discovered that he really loves action! So we did the swings… and the playground… and my vintage box… and we just let him have fun… and we had fun too – jumping around, waving, and just generally acting silly the whole time! These are just a few of the results. Thank you so much for the wonderful session, L family! Enjoy your sneak peek!

This one just displays so much sheer joy – love it!

Just look at those eyes and cheeks!Yep, he was lovin’ the swings!And of course we climbed up the steps!