when one of your mentor’s/someone you admired way before you even picked up a camera/world renowned film shooter/all around nice and beloved guy says, “your hired to do our family photos.”

you freak out a little . a lottle actually.

but then you play it cool. play it down. no big deal. taint no thing. until you remember.

he has SIX kids.

then you start to sweat in earnest. you email his charming wife, digging for inside info on how to charm the littles–you can’t think of a location that fits the family in a meaningful way–so you put it off—-until

your mentor saves you one last time. and comes up with a plan that is so “them” in a way you didn’t even realize, that you never could have come up with it yourself. everything you see below? within a mile radius of the canlas home. my fav? the family shot in the back of the HUGE family canlas van. my secret victory? getting callie canlas to let me shoot her in a way that shows her how pretty she is. can i say that without sounding like a huge jerk and as though i’m giving myself too much credit? probably not.

oh and the secret to these six amazing children?

……wait for it…..

the old standby

…….candy……

lots and LOTS of candy.

thank you so much jon and callie. you don’t know how much it means to have had this chance to capture your rad family.