A Playground, Some Ice Cream & Everything In Between

Annamae has been a sweet friend of mine for years, so when she reached out about a session I was already excited. But what made this one extra special was how they answered my question about what they wanted to do together as a family. They wanted the harbor playground and ice cream. That was it. And that was everything.

So that's exactly what we did.

We started at the Oceanside harbor playground and I just followed Mason around while Annamae and Austin watched on. He was shy with me at first, which is completely understandable, so I just hung back and let him do his thing. Down the slide, through the tunnel, completely in his own little world. And that's when the good stuff started happening.

I'll never forget rounding the corner and seeing Annamae holding Mason on the swing. I remember thinking in that moment, oh that's going to be a good one. And it was.

We walked over to the ice cream shop and Mason was quietly ecstatic, which honestly might be my favorite kind of ecstatic! They sat together just devouring their treats in that peaceful, happy way families do when nobody is performing for anyone. Just three people who really like each other, eating ice cream at the harbor.

Then we made our way to the sand to burn off the sugar rush as the sun started going down.

Their energy was quiet but so alive. You could just feel how much Mason loves his mama and dada, and how much they genuinely enjoy each other's company. Those sweet mama and son snuggles at the end completely stole my heart. Totally unplanned, totally them. And the father and son moments too, the way Austin and Mason just play together the way any great dad and son duo does, I loved getting to capture all of it.

Annamae told me afterward that Austin usually hates family photos. But he actually had fun.

That's the whole point. That's everything I'm trying to do.

Austin, Annamae, and Mason — thank you for letting me tag along on one of your favorite evenings. I hope these photos feel exactly like that day did!