Lately I have been combing through some of my old hard drives and rediscovering images that I have taken over the past seven years. Hidden amongst the thousands of images was this session I did with my oldest daughter, Lily, when she was just two years old. I hadn’t forgotten about it entirely–this was the very first session I ever took that was published by another blog (you can see that post here). What struck me was the timing. It was taken exactly four years ago today. This got me to thinking a lot about the many things that have changed over the past four years, and since I never got around to publishing these images on my own blog, I figured I would take a trip down memory lane with you guys.
I took these pictures at my favorite field ever up in Glenview, Illinois. It’s called Natural Springs Park, and it’s basically a nature reserve that was conveniently located within walking distance of where we lived. When we decided to move back to Texas, this was one of the things I knew I would miss the most. I always loved taking the kids there to walk the many trails, and loved that it was beautiful year-round. I could gain inspiration from the way the flowers and weeds would change and grow from week to week. It was beautiful even in the winter when it would be covered in snow and the landscape was encased in ice.
Luckily, I have found several locations here in the Dallas area that I love *almost* as much. I still wish I could find a field covered in daisies, though, so if any of you guys ever see that, be sure to let me know.
My daughter was just two years old when these were taken, and I was still in the process of figuring out who I wanted to be as a photographer. I had only just recently left my job with the US Navy at the time, and most of what I did throughout the day was play with my girls and experiment with taking pictures. There were several high-profile photographers whose work I had fallen in love with, and so much of this session was completely inspired by them. I had made this dress and floral crown for my daughter just for the sole purpose of taking her out into the daisies and practicing her poses. But once I got her out into the field, she wouldn’t cooperate with what I was going for. I would try to get her to look at me; she would look down. I would ask her to hold a pose; she would take off running in the opposite direction. It felt like I was completely going against the grain and all that felt natural for me. I wanted to walk away with fairy tale dreamy pictures, but what I actually got were images of a dressed-up two year old playing with pretty flowers.
And I loved them.
It’s such a simple thing, but this session helped me to realize an important thing about who I am as a photographer. Up until this point, I had been dreaming of the day when I could move into a studio and start taking the fairy tale baby and toddler images that I had been so inspired by. I almost felt as thought I couldn’t be a real photographer until I had that studio and could pose babies and kids perfectly. But it turns out that that isn’t who I am. It doesn’t come naturally to me. I tend to come alive as a photographer when I can playfully interact and observe. For me, capturing memories is more than pretty moments and poses; it’s about taking you back to specific times in your life so vividly you can practically feel them all over again.
This day taught me that I still love to take pretty pictures–sometimes I find myself nearly driving off the road when I see the open fields of wildflowers. But I also learned that it’s more than just getting a picture perfect photo. I am a better photographer when I can allow kids to run and be kids. I’m okay with wind-blown hair and dirt on the face; it makes those memories that much more vivid. I’m okay with exploration and not looking at the camera. The memories I capture may not be completely perfect, but my hope is that they will always be genuine.
Christina Freeman is an on-location lifestyle photographer based in Anna, TX and serving McKinney, Plano, Frisco, Wylie, Lucas, Celina and other Collin County communities. She seeks to photograph the fun and messy moments that connect us all in our ordinary lives, from the very beginning to the very end. Be sure to get in touch if you have loved everything you have seen so far and would love to start a conversation.