It was one of the nicest emails we’d ever received. We had never met Mark. We had never shaken his hand or even seen any of his images. But we somehow had seen his heart in an email. Through the internet void, we felt the passion in his words and the beauty in his soul. He had a love for ministry, a passion for youth, and a heart for photography. After his heartwarming, kind, and humble words, we knew we had to find a way to meet this genuine and wonderful person.
Jeff and I are extremely protective of our couples and their wedding days, and we are incredibly particular about the third shooters and assistants that we bring along with us. They have to fit our brand and our personalities. They have to have a servants heart and a humble attitude, not to serve us – not at all. But to serve our couples and their families on one of the most important and meaningful days of their lives. Mark has this heart, and when we had a wedding in his area, we couldn’t help but ask him to come along.
That was a year ago, and ever since then we’ve been so excited to meet Mark’s wife, Jill, and his two GORGEOUS girls, Maddie and Mackenzie. Mark is a fantastic photographer in Redlands – seriously check him out if you’re looking for wonderful family photography with the kindest guy you’ll ever meet. Since Mark is always the one behind the camera (I know the feeling), Jill wanted to get him in some family photos with their cute little girls, as well as shoot new head shots for their website, and we were happy to do it – to say the least. I was pretty much jumping out of my skin with excitement to photograph this cute little family! Today we’re featuring the family shoot, and tomorrow will be the fabulous Mark and Jill.
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Its mandatory with any family session to get that great set-up with the smiling faces and cute kids…
…but once that shot is over, we let the kids break loose!
Ewww! A kiss from daddy!
At two-years old, Maddie couldn’t hold still, which was ok with us! How can you ever say no to a little blonde two-year-old with blue eyes, chubby cheeks, and pigtails? Its like not getting the chicken nachos on the happy hour menu – impossible.
My favorite moment of the day.
While Jeff chased after Maddie, I opted for the sickeningly adorable – and stationary – Mackenzie. This. is. the. cutest. baby. EVER.
Mackenzie loved grabbing the leaves off of the ground, which melted my heart into a puddle of girly, maternal mush. I can only imagine how Mark feels!
After plenty of squatting and running around, we brought the family back together for a few more set-ups. Kids get tired real quick. So you have to shoot real quick. We learned THAT real quick.
These guys had plenty of smiles left in them though, and I love these last ones!
Squishee-faaaaaace!!
Tomorrow we’ll be featuring our shoot with Mark and Jill, so check back then for more Leonard family goodness!
Hugs,
Erin
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