I could take this session and post you some lovely images of this great family.  But today, I’m particular leaning towards these images.

Laughter not only makes you feel better in the moment, but I think it makes you feel better to look at images of laughter.  I can take hundreds of smiling technically perfect photos, but the laughter ones are always my favorite.

I think its because of the magic factor 🙂

You feel something when you look at the image, because something real was happening when it was taken.

The most amazing thing about photography, is that you can relive the FEELINGS, because they are sort of immortalized in a photograph.  Jesh talks about how if you want your images to be powerful, then something powerful needs to occur while you are taking the image.  Makes sense 🙂  Its all about “authenticity”.

I hope you to can catch the authenticity of these images and more so, these incredible individuals.

(Taken from a large family reunion session last week)

One of my little tricks for getting some fabulous authentic laughter images of families was something I discovered while doing a mentoring session a few months ago.  I asked the kids to come “help me” out.  I gathered them together for our secret game plan.  I was taking images of their parents, but in secret told them that on the next set of photos, when I counted to three I wanted them to run into the picture, throw their arms around their mom and dad and give them a hug that was the biggest “love” hug they could muster.  It worked great!  So great, that I’ve used it over and over with great success.

I thought I’d try it out here with all the grandkids and their Grandma…

Only I failed to consider one major detail.

The most kids I have ever done this with before was 4.

NOT TWENTY ONE!!!

Grandma ended up on the bottom of a body pile!

For best results, use in smaller groups 🙂

Here’s to happy authenticity!

Brooke Snow is a Lifestyle photographer in Cache Valley, Utah. She is a proud new mother to a humorous baby boy with hair that sticks straight up in the back. They enjoy walking and biking a lot… it helps stimulate creative brain power, challenge the extra pounds, and they discover the ultimate secret photo locations on their daily jaunts.

Brooke teaches private photography lessons as well as monthly photography classes in Logan, Utah.

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