I love the Vanzants. A few weeks ago I photographed Kris, Molly and their kids. More recently, I met up with Jeff, Andrea, and their crew. It was my third time photographing them, though since last year’s session, they’ve grown their team to a five-some. They handle it so well!

Great moment with Jeff, Andrea and baby Cameron. 

I love Andrea’s work description on her Facebook profile.  Mommy at the Nicholas, Benjamin and Cameron Company. As the husband to a wife with a similar job title, I can appreciate how difficult (and rewarding) her work is. I also appreciate the enormous weight that Jeff carries—and how it’s totally worth it!

Who doesn’t love some Thirty-One?

Love this.

Benjamin and Nicholas showing me their ninja moves.

The obvious shots to get are parents with their kiddos. I always like to let mom and dad have some time together during family sessions. This was a sweet moment.

Jeff and Andrea were looking at their kids playing. Andrea said, “Look. We made those!” Awesome.

Jennifer and Nick have been in my life since 2008 when I photographed their wedding. The now have a sweet little one-year-old, so the Cooper-Ring photographic saga continues…LOL

 I love this shot of Kayden.

Cousin Audrey dropped in. What’s funny is that I have similar shot from Audrey’s session last spring when Kayden stopped by. I hope we can continue this crying together tradition all the way through high school!

Kayden had an ear infection, so there were a couple points during the shoot that he needed some extra love. Audrey noticed, too, and offered to share a chicken nugget and ball. Sweet, right?

This helped, too.

Classic. 

My son Carson has always loved his mama’s hair, so I totally recognize moments like this.

Nick’s band This Season’s Color will be releasing its new album soon. I’ve listened to it, and it’s pretty amazing. These guys have some chops, for sure! 

Kayden likes music, too.

Thanks, Jennifer and Nick, for keeping in touch and making me a part of your family’s history! Talk to you soon!

I’m not outspoken about my beliefs. If I’m being honest, I’m not sure I could pin them down even if I wanted to.  But I do know this–Lighthouse Ministries is an organization here in Lexington that is actively changing lives. It’s for that reason that I donate a session each year to their silent auction. I would encourage each of you to consider getting involved, too.

It’s through that silent auction that I came to meet Karen, Aden, and twins Annalise and Lucy. Talk about a sweet family. I photographed them recently on an evening when the “feels like” temperature was somewhere over 100 degrees. Yikes. We had a great time, though. They even brought their own balloons as a surprise!

Thanks for stopping by, you all. If you haven’t already, you might also consider connecting with the Lighthouse through their Facebook page HERE. And you can stay in touch with me HERE and HERE. Talk to you later!  -shaun