Do we ever savor a rainy day like this as adults? Next time you’re dodging drops think of this guy and enjoy the moment.

No holding back for Sammy.

Sammy found the best puddle in his North Wales yard to make the biggest splash.

A gentle smile and her best green snippers in hand. Covered by her trusty umbrella and pink slicker. She’s ready to make the best display, just like the one she made with her mother at the bouquet design class they took together.

Lena curates her perfect bouquet during her rainy day family photo session.

Lena gently pats each bloom in her pockets. All’s safe and secure in her pink slicker pockets.

She searched her entire backyard in her Montgomery County home to find the very best flowers for her bouquet.

Lena shows off the biggest bloom in the bunch.

Pausing in a puddle in between picking flowers for her bouquet.

This Montgomery County rainy day family photo session reminds us that sometimes the best family days are a washout.

It was a warm summer day at Greta’s North Wales home. She took the day off to reconnect and reclaim time with her family. It was also pouring rain. I marveled when I arrived, camera in hand, as their lively world unfolded before me. For the first few minutes they raced around the home showing me favorite toys, dance moves, games and general gymnastics that all kids love to perform when they’re so excited they don’t know what do with themselves.

It wasn’t long before they were running towards their rain coats, goulashes and umbrellas. This is the point at which any mom would be tempted to say no. Muddy, drenched children does not sound like the best photo op. Yet, Greta wanted to celebrate everything she loves most about her kids through her unique family photo session. Their charismatic spirit and blissful joy through everyday life is a powerful inspiration and reminder of what really matters. That life perspective is a beautiful place to be transported to every day as they see these moments displayed in their home through their powerful wall art. What greets Greta as she walks through her home is the truth that some days we need to stop and pay tribute the beauty and gifts in the chaos and in the imperfections.

It’s in-between our well laid plans that the real living happens – the perfect goodness. And, yes, sometimes that means grabbing the rain coat and goulashes and making the most of a rainy day.

Lena wanted to pick flowers for an bouquet she planned to design with her mother. She shared with me that her favorite thing was the flower arrangement class that she and her mother took together recently. Lena found her best green snippers and delicately went about clipping the very best flowers from the backyard. Then from the side yard and front yard. No flower bed was left untouched. Later she arranged her flowers in a pint size mason jar and proudly thrust it towards me. She declared that she made it just for me. That’s when I asked for a towel to wipe up the puddle my heart had become on the floor.

Sammy was poised to show me his very best and biggest puddle hops. He found the widest and deepest puddle. Then, he took a running start and SPLASH! Over and over again he gave thanks for the rain by simply enjoying it. I can’t think of the last time I enjoyed the rain as much Sammy.

It reminded me to think of his beaming face every time I’m hurriedly dodging drops or when I’ve lost my connection to the goodness the earth is giving me.

We can be tempted to shutdown our plans when they’re not running according to our original vision. Often when we lean into the changes that we did not plan and can’t control, we can find a goodness we didn’t expect. We find new gratitude and perspective for what we have. Enjoy leaning into the challenges this week brings you and listening to what the world is offering you.

The post Montgomery County-Rainy Day Photo Session appeared first on Lux Summit Studio.

Lena & Greta marvel over their stash of ammo.

Isaiah means business. He’s not letting a family photo session stop him from showering his sister, brother and mom with foam darts.

Charlies Angels has nothing on these two. They’re Nerf ready and this battle is boys against girls.

Don’t let the smile fool you. Lena is out to win this Nerf battle.

This North Wales family photo session proves that rainy days and basements are made for epic Nerf gun battles.

It doesn’t take pretty studio backdrops, Montgomery County scenery or clear Bucks County skies to capture the joy and happiness of a family. It only takes a determination for a family to reconnect and reclaim time together. Love can be found and captured anywhere. It can even be found in the basement of a family home as foam darts fly to and fro.

I find that so many families feel they need the perfect home to get the perfect family photograph. It’s completely understandable. That’s what magazines and television shows. That’s what we, as photographers, often show. We show the house with the big windows, color coordinated drapes and bed spread and new furniture. There’s nothing wrong with the pristine house either. It’s just that none of these details tell a single thing about the spirit and joy of a family. Decor and tidiness doesn’t tell who they are and what’s most important to them. They are simply things. I encourage my families to never let the state of their well lived in and loved home determine the tone of their session.

I’m here to tell you that the beauty of your family resonates when your truest and best selves are free to shine.

Greta, Sammy, Lena and Isaiah romped in the rain, picked flowers, ate whoopee pies and played cards. Then they headed to the basement. They ended their day of fun and reconnection rifling through their comprehensive pile of Nerf guns, locking, loading, laughing, running and annihilating. It was the best way to end the most perfectly imperfect day.

When do you feel like your truest self? What does your perfect day look like? Let’s explore your perfect day with your two-legged or four-legged family. Or let’s explore your truest self with just you for a healthy dose of empowerment! Click below to schedule your Discovery Meeting where we find out what’s most important to you in designing your most important wall art.

[button link=”https://meetme.so/kristenkidd” color=”green”] Let’s Chat[/button]

The post North Wales Family Photo Session Nerf Gun Battle appeared first on Lux Summit Studio.

The post appeared first on Lux Summit Studio.

Sincerely, though, it’s beautiful to watch families grow. It’s inspiring to have the front row seat and capture that growth year by year. Relationships are important. This one does not end here. I look forward to many more sessions. In the mean time, I thought five years deserved a montage.

The post appeared first on Lux Summit Studio.

“… a rare inherited disorder that progressively destroys nerve cells (neurons) in the brain and spinal cord.

The most common form of Tay-Sachs disease becomes apparent in infancy. Infants with this disorder typically appear normal until the age of 3 to 6 months, when their development slows and muscles used for movement weaken. Affected infants lose motor skills such as turning over, sitting, and crawling. They also develop an exaggerated startle reaction to loud noises. As the disease progresses, children with Tay-Sachs disease experience seizures, vision and hearing loss, intellectual disability, and paralysis. An eye abnormality called a cherry-red spot, which can be identified with an eye examination, is characteristic of this disorder. Children with this severe infantile form of Tay-Sachs disease usually live only into early childhood.”

Sometimes I cultivate a distaste for definitions. Yet, sometimes they are necessary to help us understand. Danny is so much more than the grouping of words that describe his conditions above. I thought about him frequently during the holidays and again on his second birthday, December 31st.

I can’t tell you a lot about him or his family. I entered their home to create a memory. I didn’t ask, not because I didn’t care, but because I didn’t feel they needed to relive their journey to the stranger with a camera. They just needed to remember this Christmas, this birthday, this moment.

I can tell you what I saw while I snapped image after image and what I felt when I left. I saw a family decorated with joy and resilience, the way their tree was adorned with ornaments. I felt the presence of moments hanging so fragile and so beautiful, like the bright, glass globes that dangled from the limbs and when I left, I was renewed in the challenge to decorate my life as a Christmas tree, everyday.

Please consider making a donation to support families affected by Tay Sachs and to benefit research development. (Click here.)

The post appeared first on Lux Summit Studio.

When I get into a pool I have to ease in, adjust to the water, brace myself. I watched these kids charge forward without hesitation or withholding one piece of themselves from the happiness that was possible in that moment.

The post appeared first on Lux Summit Studio.

The post appeared first on Lux Summit Studio.

I’ll be following First Fridays in Lansdale for the next few months for Discover Lansdale. So, come out and say hello, pose for photo and have a beer with me!

See the rest of the First Friday madness on Flickr!

The post appeared first on Lux Summit Studio.

Strolling through Lansdale Day I came across this guy. This little boy was a reminder of all the joys that one simple indulgence can bring. We all need a reminder from time to time to stop over complicating life and just enjoy the simple things.

The post appeared first on Lux Summit Studio.