Brecken is Four!

I’ve written before about how the key to getting good photos of an active toddler or preschooler is to give them something to do. Asking a two, three, or four-year old to sit and smile for a camera tends to just leave everyone feeling frustrated— and never makes for good images. A scavenger hunt can work great— for this Fourth Birthday shoot, I hid printed photos from his fourth year throughout our outdoor space at home and let him look for them. I also blew up a giant balloon in the shape of a number 4 and just let him do whatever he wanted with it. I love that shooting in this way lets his big personality come through in the photos, and they capture who he really is at this particular moment in time.

Three was an intense age. I can only imagine that it was exacerbated by the tension that permeates any living situation during a global pandemic, but some of it must have just been the toughness of being three. I shared with a friend that it felt like someone flipped a switch on my sweet kid within days of him turning three— everything felt like a battle of wills, as he went through the process of individuation and I…took a lot of deep breaths (and a few good cries). My friend responded that yes, it’s exactly like a switch flipping. But good news— right around four, it switches again. And from what I can tell, that’s actually true. It. is. wild. But all of a sudden, my kid can understand reason. I can rationalize with him. The human brain is amazing.

So, here’s a sample of some of my favorites from Brecken’s fourth birthday shoot— a celebration of turning four (and not being three anymore)!