A Blast From the Past in Sandbridge, VA
Pao and I go waaaaaay back. All the way back to her first year of college when she lived on the floor where I was an RA (Resident Assistant). She and her roommates were undoubtedly the class clowns of the floor - loveable mild-troublemakers who were always hosting friends and having loud arguments about philosophy...or sometimes just about tv shows.
Fast forward nearly a decade and Pao is now married to Scott and they have three beautiful children. Out of the blue Pao messaged me and asked if Sandbridge was within my photography area because they visit regularly and like to have their family photos taken there. I had been looking for an excuse to get over to the Sandbridge Pier and couldn't wait to see Pao again and meet her beautiful family, so we scheduled a session nearly 6 months out so she could catch me before my Fall schedule got too crazy (which it 100% has haha).
When Pao and the family got out of the car in beautifully crisp white shirts and dresses, my light and airy photographer heart just soared - it's a dream come true to do a session on the beach where everyone is dressed in white!
Family Cake Smash on the Beach
This session was a double header - not only were we capturing their annual family photos at Sandbridge Pier, but we were also celebrating Lily's first birthday with a beach cake smash! Once I managed to get a couple looking at the camera and at least half-smiling photos with everyone, we brought out Lily's birthday cake. In probably 90% of the cake smash sessions I've done, the kid doesn't care one bit about the cake, and that was the case for Lily.
Luckily, Lily's brothers REALLY cared about the cake! When Lucas and Nico were given the "go ahead" to join the cake smash, they did so with gusto! I think we all hoped that when she saw her brothers digging into the cake that Lily would join in, but she didn't. Then mom and dad joined the party and she STILL didn't want any cake! But I don't think Lucas and Nico minded because they definitely got to go face-first into the cake when Lily was all done - scroll through the photos below to see those hilarious pics!
Thank you, Denion Family, for trusting me with your family photos and Lily's cake smash! I had so much fun with you and can't wait to photography you all again soon!
