On the count of three...

I had one of my favorite family sessions of all time, just s few days before Christmas. You may remember Kristen and Brandon from a family session last fall. here and hereSo when Kristen asked me to take some portraits for her side of the family I was glad to do it. Let me set the scene for this session-- Kristen and I touched base the day before their session to arrange our meeting place. And little did her family know, to arrange a surprise as well. Kristen had a great idea and I was so excited to be part of it. She and Brandon arrived at our location first. We had a chance to talk through a few of the details ahead of time, which I was glad about. (I was actually kind of nervous that I was going to screw it all up!) The session was going to include her immediate family (mom, dad, brother, sister and her husband, Kristen and Brandon) and her grandmas. All of Kristen’s family would be present for the surprise, which made it so much fun.

The Before Pictures

In the picture below from L to R. Brother in law, sister, grandma, dad, grandma (sitting in front), mom, brother, Kristen, Brandon.

Her plan? Well, look at the pictures below to see if you can figure it out. You have to look at each person’s expression in these. They tell a fun story. I might point out a few in particular that I love! And remember that these all took place within about 2-3 minutes.

The After Pictures

Look at the mom, 4th from the right.

Her younger brother catches on... (3rd from right)

Brandons look just cracks me up here...

In this one... look at Grandma on the left.

And I love the handshake in this one above!Her plan was to go through most of the session just like normal, but at the end I got to say, "Okay, on the count of three everyone say, 'Kristen's pregnant!'" The response was so comical. I loved being there to take some snapshots of their reaction. I was so honored to be part of such a special moment. You can see her mom respond with a look of questioning like..."What on earth does this photographer think she is saying." (She later told me that she was thinking, "Kristen is going to be so mad!") But then the possibility of it struck her and she turned to Kristen and Kristen and Brandon's beaming smiles confirmed what I had suggested. It was one of the sweetest moments. And seriously, editing these pictures has been SO much fun. I have just laughed and laughed at the responses and remembering the reactions. Every time I see the pictures I just cant help but smile! This next one is possibly my favorite...I had suggested that grandma point at the newest addition to the family, so Kristen's mom instructed her own mom to point at Kristen. Not wanting to interrupt or step on toes I decided to just go with it. After a minute I mentioned that when I suggested Grandma point at the belly, I was actually talking about the NEWEST Grandma in the crowd. The reaction to that was priceless. The realization that SHE was the grandma now could not have been sweeter! Watch her expressions below.

I love, love, LOVE that I was able to be part of this special time and I will remember it always! Thanks Kristen, Brandon and your family. And Congratulations again!

And now I'll end it with a new little baby bump!
*Just a disclaimer here...I won't claim photographic brilliance on the "after" pictures. Because I was trying to snap away quickly I was not paying close attention to my settings and my camera was working hard to keep up with all the flashes. But I didn't want to miss a single second and I LOVE the expressions that we were able to capture!