I’m so in love with my little lady’s 6th Birthday Portraits this year! If you know me and my little, you’ll also likely know that neither of us like to be in front of the camera (true story). As her parent there are SO many things that I have to *make* her do from brushing her teeth, to being respectful, to learning to read that I really don’t feel I need to *make* her let me take her photo, at least not too often. Instead, I usually try to treat her as if I’m hiring a model. ….and she gets to name her price. Sometimes it’s a bowl of marshmallows or a cookie BEFORE dinner or some other ludicrous thing or another that she never dreamed I would “let” her do, but I do, because it’s actually the currency she understands best. This always makes getting her to cooperate for portraits that much easier. This year, instead of the usual one photoshoot for her birthday, we did two. I’ve been eyeing a particular trellis of wisteria in our neighborhood for the last few springs and was excited to catch it on just the right day this year.

My little let me picked the dress and kept if on just long enough for photos.  This is one of my favorite dresses on her.  It came from a consignment sale, but is so well made.  The top part is linen and the crinoline on the bottom makes it the perfect twirling dress.

Twirling dresses and photography are absolutely perfect together and the movement in the photo below just makes me swoon.

…..but what I think is really important to understand is that this wasn’t “her” photoshoot.  She *let* me take the photos, but it was most definitely a job for her.  Below are the photos she *wanted* me to take.  And I think it really shows through.

Our little one absolutely loves her Micro Mini.  She could ride for hours on the circle near our house.  It’s her happy place and she and the other kids on our block have spent the last several years racing around it like a racetrack.

And she was once again right, this is much more the way I will remember her at six than in the pretty twirling dress under the wisteria.  THIS IS SIX: Her orange scooter, her Nutcase helmet, her sparkle-y Mini Melissas, and fingernails painted into a rainbow.

The other thing I have let my little do was take over my original DSLR.  For her getting to be the one taking photos has made having her own taken feel a little more “fair.”  I’m looking forward to seeing what she creates.

Check out my little’s 5th Birthday Portraits HERE.

Erin Tetterton is a Wedding, Newborn, & Lifestyle Photographer located in Alexandria, VA and serving the greater Washington DC area.  For more information on having your own family portraits taken, get in touch today.