Every location we shoot generally has a bonus picture…something that was extra fun to style, an idea we loved, an angle that turned out better than expected. In our August Family Homes issue, there were lots of them, thanks to the combination of families/kids and great homes. A few personal favorites:

Think of all the variables that had to come together on this one…it’s a garden, photographed in the summer, which means we had to be on site at about 7 a.m. to get this soft, pretty light. The very-accommodating Redfield family has woken their two sons and they’re ready to swim in the early morning hours. And then, we want them to all interact, so mom is throwing a football, one son is catching it, another is jumping off the diving board, and photographer Rett Peek manages to capture it all. Me, I was standing alongside and clapping at how well it all went. The rest of the shoot was equally entertaining.

We love to photograph kids in their own rooms, and two-year-old Sterling Green with her cute curly hair seemed a perfect fit for her paisley-inspired space, by designer Tobi Fairley. Sterling’s mom Jennifer sat her up on the daybed and handed her a book, and we all figured we were in for some standard two-year-old wriggling around. Instead, she sat in the perfect spot and started quietly looking at the book, and photographer Nancy Nolan was intuitive enough to quickly start snapping away. Eventually, Sterling wandered off, and we captured that too.

Likewise, when we photographed Ava and Hayden Schueck’s room, we hoped to capture them doing what they like best. When Nancy Nolan asked them if they wanted to jump on their beds, one twin was eager to oblige, the other…decided it was time to read. We loved it! A chance for kids to be kids.

In case you missed it:

At Home Friday Favorites 7.30.10

Behind the Scenes at our Kids Fashion Shoot