I try to take some posed shots of the kids each year around the times of their birthdays. Well, I’m a couple months behind with the boys. Time kept slipping away, so I finally just shot a few around the house. I think I spent a max of 5 minutes with each boy. They were all dirty and in messy play clothes. I had them change clothes, wipe off all visible dirt and endure photos for a few minutes each. My oldest and youngest son were cooperative…the middle one made me work a lot harder.
The boys don’t appear on my blog as much as FireCracker. They don’t beg me to take their picture like she does! I can’t imagine life without boys. Though I will soon have two daughters, I think I’ll always consider myself a ‘boy mom’. Goodness do I love these little guys….but don’t tell them I called them “little”!
My boys…8, 6, 4.
8 is a hard age to photograph, at least with this guy. I often resort to letting him jump off things.
The majority of the shots were awkward forced smiles or his random faces.
He thought out this series. Totally Cool Dude.
Then there is my 4 year old. Still too young for the awkward self aware phase, but old enough to choose to be goofy or serious.
He brought a caterpillar to his session. I convinced him to let the little guy go.
Totally him.
He is learning the odd faces from his big brother.
And like his big brother, he dictated to me what he wanted too.
Then there is my 6 year old charmer. Crazy photogenic….but was very much not in the mood for pictures. I’ll share about that tomorrow.
All of these photos were shot with my Canon 85mm f/1.8 lens.
And totally unrelated: I am WAY behind in emails. If you have wrote in May, I am working through those.
they are cute. good job
by AshleyAnn
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Allison - ADORABLE – your boys are so awesome! Great pictures!
Tara A - so precious….
amanda torres - Congratulations! You are behind in emails which means you spent more time in REAL life. Awesome feat!
Corey Moortgat - “Still too young for the awkward self aware phase” -Yes, both my boys went through this phase at exactly the same age- five years old. From age five until age six, I couldn’t get a natural smile for anything! Thankfully, my six-year-old has outgrown it, but I’m struggling with my still five-year-old!
These shots are beautiful of your boys though. Even if the rest of the shots of number #2 are terrible, the one you posted should make up for all the rest!
Whitney - Wow…those boys are going to be heartbreakers! Sooooo handsome!!
Eva - New follower here….these are lovely. You really captured the personality of your boys.
Amy - so cute! where did you get that sweater-vest on the youngest boy?
amy jupin - i see so much of you in each of them.
and that makes me so happy.
boys rock.
Shannon Phillips - These boys are so precious and I love these photos. So so great!
Keegan said “Look Mama, it is my friends with the goats!”
Carol - I have the most handsome grandsons in the world. They all are perfect. How I love them.
Suzanne - What handsome little guys! And what lovely memories you have of them – smiles and funny faces and all!
Ko - Ah boys! Getting my boys to look at the camera and smile at the same time is impossible! I would love to hear what you talk about with them while your shooting. Any tips on getting a “normal” expression?
Y’all are a gorgeous family! My goodness!
Alice H - Try taking pictures of my 11 year old son!! So much work!! These pictures are so cute and you can see their personality in the photos. Your boys are very handsome.
angie webb - Your boys are all such charmers. You are so lucky! Your six year old just melts my heart though. Everytime I see pictures of him I melt.
N - Love that you do this every year! You should do a blog with the photos complied from each year of each child.
Steph - Your kids are all crazy-gorgeous and handsome, but you are right, your middle son is photogenic as heck…he’s beautiful, good luck fighting the girls off!! Oh man you’re going to have that teenager house where eeeeveryone congregates, too! Cute cute cute pictures, thanks for sharing!
rutheah rodehorst - oh my goodness…there is too much handsomeness going on! what sweet boys. that last pic kills me! adorable.
giozi - I understand your pefectly, ha ha ha my daughter doesn’t want photos and te little one some day yes and some day not.
My daughter is 4y 8m I would like to be the mother in law of one of our children ha ha ha
jamie - All of your children are adorable! I have been wanting to get the 85mm lens… I think these pics. may have me shopping this weekend!
Susan - Your children are beautiful, but #2 is angelic. He looks like an old soul. Good luck Mom, you are going to need some crazy skills to keep the girls away!
Lynn Brumm - Dreamy….just plain dreamy!!!! The first pic of your 4 yr old made me melt! You and Chris create some extremely gorgeous creatures!
nancy - oh they are lovely!!! Their wives will be so happy to have them someday, as they hold them up to their own sons and compare the features.
Keep ‘em coming!
nancy
ps-My mark II will be here on Friday! I knew you’d appreciate my excitement!
Wendy - Fantastic! I work at a portrait studio … 10 yr old boys are tough. An 8 yr old still chuckles when you say “toilet”.
Amy - These photos are wonderful. Your boys are adorable. I just got my first DSLR camera for my first Mother’s Day! My husband surprised me.
I got a Canon Rebel t2i. I’m loving it so far, but still need a lot of practice.
Ellie - *laughs* My parents and friends are always trying to get me in front of the camera, but I’d rather be behind it, taking the pictures. That being said, I love how you captured your boys– even if they have their awkward faces on, these will bring back such good memories.
On a side note, did you know that YoungHouseLove mentioned you TWICE in today’s morning post?!? Yay, Ashley!
~Ellie
Seriously Sassy Mama - I have three girls the same ages as your three boys. We stopped after three, but I would have loved to have one more.
Aja - Precious boys! Makes me want a few boys of my own!
Jenny - As a mom to three little boys and a girl as well, I can totally relate!
Your boys are so handsome! great pics as usual.
Rachael - They are gorgeous!! Love the locations you chose, especially the one sitting in the grass. With my 6 and 3 year old boys, I have to resort to telling them I will play tickle chase to get them to take pictures, and if that doesn’t work, usually a lollipop will
tracy a - Is it just me or does your 6 yr old look just like his daddy? Such handsome boys!!
Sarah - Not sure what you mean by a “boy mom.” If your mother said that, what would you think she meant?
Trae Kendrick - Ashley, the pics of your boys are adorable. It makes me long for the days when my two were that age. Gosh, they grow up so fast! I don’t know how you could possibly have time for questions, but if you do I have one. You are so wonderful to always share what lenses you have and your camera settings, but my question is even more basic. How do you decide which lens for what??