It’s not true that photographers’ kids never get their photos taken.  That’s not true at all in our house.  I always have the camera ready and for the most part, have willing models.  However, for my kids, it’s the editing that never happens.  This is what happens when you have kids born right at the beginning of the busy season.  But turning 11 is a big deal for this family who loves all things, Harry Potter!  When my son turned 11 last year, we celebrated with a visit to Universal Studios, Florida (my daughter was offered early admission  😉 ).  When my little girl turned 11 this year, another trip was not possible but I told her we could definitely incorporate some Harry Potter into her photo session.

So on a gorgeous fall afternoon, she threw on her “Mischief Managed” t-shirt, grabbed her wand, and struck her best spell-casting poses.  It was so much fun and looking back over these images as I edited them, I’m struck but my girl’s completely joyful personality.  Every image, every expression is just her!  And I’m so glad that I get to capture her like this.

Just like my tween session clients, I let Sadie make most of the decisions for her sessions.  She wanted the wand.  She wanted the sweater and boots.  And she also wanted to wear the special gold hoops that were Grammy’s.  This would be her first photo session with pierced ears and so earring choice was important.  It’s important for any tweens that I photograph to feel like they have a say in their session.  This isn’t about just listening to mom, in this case, both mom/mother and mom/photographer, it’s about guiding them in developing their voice.  I also let Sadie take the lead for how she wanted to be during her session and as you’ll see, she had a lot of ideas.  As both her mom and her photographer, I wanted her to feel completely free and confident to be herself.  I want her to hang onto that confidence that whether she’s being silly or serious or smiley, she’s beautiful!

Expelliarmus!!

As you will see, you can’t have a Harry Potter-inspired session without a little bit of magic!

One of the things that I love about photography is creating something more than a portrait.  This is why I started offering Creative sessions!  I wanted to create magic!  I wanted to combine our reality with a bit of imagination and photoshop!  Sometimes it’s about the costume but for this experience, it was about her imagination and what I could add to the image from my computer.

After the Harry Potter portion of the session, it was time for a different look.  For my tween session, I have my clients plan on two outfits.  The change of clothing can break up the time and offer an opportunity to change personality a bit.  My daughter chose another casual outfit and it suited her perfectly!  She’s in the middle of her very own blue period.  She loves blue and so most clothing is expected to be blue.  Just that little detail is going to stand out years from now when we look back on these images.  Sadie loved blue as a tween.

As we move closer and closer towards the actual teen years, I’m seeing the range of emotions that can change with the speed of my camera’s shutter.

She’s my performer and she’s my joy.  She’s my mini-me and I couldn’t imagine this world without her sparkle in it!

Have you thought about celebrating your daughter with a special tween session?  Or would you like to make a little magic too?  Let’s capture your daughter, your family,  in a way that truly shows their personality the way a portrait should!