Ahh, the beach! I recently returned home from a fabulous vacation in Gulf Shores, AL with my sister Jessie and Brother in law Heath and their kids, and the matriarch of our family, the one and only Grammy! (Papaw decided he would stay it alone at home because he couldn't take the thought of 28 hours in the car with his grandkids. What a party pooper!) It was a dream vacation. One of those where you actually get to did your toes into the sand, lay back and crack open a cold one without having an itinerary to follow. Ok, to be honest, my two and a half year old was a monster off of his schedule and at the time I would have rather jabbed hot pokers into my eyeballs then take the 14 hour drive down and back with him again, but nearly a month out from returning home, all I remember are the rosy, happy, relaxing parts, like the dolphins, incredible views, beach walks, great food and even better company!
In my dream photography world, I'd be able to walk out of my amazing, perfectly lit studio, right on to the beach. I mean really, there is nothing in good old Indiana that even comes close to rivaling the ocean. So, I was more than happy to indulge myself in all of the beauty and whip out my camera to snap my sister's family. My niece Tatum was as always, an obliging model, but lo and behold I actually got REAL GENUINE smiles out of my nephews who normally moan and groan every way step of the way through a photo shoot. I guess the beach makes everyone happy! I would venture to say that in the 10 years that I have been photographing these kids, the ones of them together is the best I've ever taken.....and that alone was worth that 14 hour drive!!! Until next year......
