November 18th was my last of 3 mini session weekends.  This happened to be my November Christmas Mini Sessions – Open Wheat Field – 6 amazing families!  Each and every family that came was a treasure to my heart.

When the McNultys arrived, Mark & Wendi were fully prepared for the wind that graced us by blowing in the best of directions for the natural light.  They brought combs and had blow-dried Emery & Mallory’s hair to perfection which looked amazing in the golden light! My favorite part of their twenty minutes were the moments of authenticity where they were loving toward one another with kisses, hugs and a free, fun spirit.

The Kampstras were next and I could hear Michelle’s infectious giggle from the parking lot as she and Michael began to make their way down with their two beautiful girls, Maddie & Kate. These girls were amazing! Constant smiles on their faces. Excited to pose. Rocking their surroundings, and they even had ideas -especially Maddie- of what pose they wanted to do next!

As soon as I caught eyes with Judy Lawrence, I felt like I wanted to give her a huge hug!  She has one of those genuine smiles that is incredibly welcoming, and although we had just met for the first time, I instantly felt like a friend of hers.  She brought her grandkids, son & daughter-in-law and hubby along with her and I’m so glad she did.  We had a ball! Kids were thrown in the air, swung while walking and even beamed with pure excitement and joy, “making merry” as we captured some sweet moments.

Rachel Gray was next and brought her daughter, Lucy.  Lucy happens to be my son, Jacob’s “girlfriend”! (At least Jacob likes to think so!) Lucy is the first picture you will see in the images below… doesn’t she brighten your smile at the sight of her?!  Every pose I coached her into she ROCKED and every direction I gave she was winning at!  I could take pictures of Lucys all day long! She even helped me fined some good backlighting where she wanted to stand! Also, she picked out her own outfit… great job, Girlie!

Sunset was about 40 minutes away when the Delaneys arrived.  PERFECT TIME FOR A VERY GOLDEN HOUR!  Wow did they dress perfectly!  I loved the yellow and purple color scheme, and I am obsessed with the jean shirt tucked in to the purple skirt! Beautiful combo!  Sloane has a way of gently brushing her hair out of the way with her hand that makes me grin from ear to ear.  She moves through a wheat field with grace and poise, and she looks like she should be made into an American Girl Doll.  I adore her!

Hint: at your next mini session, try and select the time slot that is either an hour or 40 min from sun down!

Last to arrive were the creative duo, Julie & Jack with their new dog, Charlie! I call them the creative duo because I have never been this excited about a family arriving to a session with jeans and a white shirt!  Actually I’ve never been excited at all about it until Jack showed up with his designer jeans and red converse, partnered with Mom’s lace blouse and red wedges! LOVE-LOVE!  Julie had all sorts of wonderful Pinterest ideas of what she wanted to do for posing, and Jack was along for the ride, ready, excited, and in love with his puppy!

Thank you to all who came out! Please enjoy the photos from the November Christmas Mini Sessions – Open Wheat Field!

~Hannah Charis