Wise & Webb | Backyard Family Photos

Dayna and Dan came into our lives sometime around 2 years ago. Maybe? I’m not exactly sure because they’re the kind of people who just feel like they’ve always been there.

They have three lovely, spirited, and unique children who they are molding into people that will be capable of contributing great and good things to our world. Last year I convinced them their children needed to attend the school where I was teaching: Howbert Elementary School (shameless plug for this awesome little school) located by Garden of the Gods. Every good school could also use another great family and amazing children to attend it!

Plus, they’re #westside friends. For those who don’t know, the west side of Colorado Springs is the part of town closest to the mountains. The housing is generally a little older and ready for a complete reno, but often more expensive because of the location. Or, they’re just half a million dollar (plus) homes in the foothills and on top of ridges, bluffs, and overlooks. Understandably, I have many friends who have opted to live on the east side of town, where housing is newer and you can get more house for your money. This usually means 20+ minute drives to see friends because Josh and I gave up buying a “single-family” home in exchange for a townhome on the westside. (We just wanted to be close to the mountains! Worth it.) Dayna and Dan are some of just a few friends who live on the same side of town that we do. It’s always great to spend time with them, and it’s a cherry on top when we only have to drive 5 minutes down the road to see them!

For this session, I also got to meet Dayna’s parents and brother. I love extended family sessions! It requires a little more organization, patience, and time, but I love the challenge and it’s worth it to capture all the relationships and connections in a family. Plus, this family has the most natural and genuine smiles, and there were only a handful of images where eyes were closed. THIS IS RARE, PEOPLE! The larger the group, the more likely someone is to not be looking or someone’s eyes are closed. This means I have to take more pictures, and the more pictures I take and the longer people smile, the more their smiles turn into “camera” smiles instead of genuine ones. Not this family. Almost every click of the shutter resulted in a great photo!

Dayna, Dan, Gail, Rick, Rich, and kids – thank you for trusting me with your family’s memories. Thank you for being willing to have an (earlier) morning session and for being so prepared! You are wonderful, lovely people and I am thankful to have you in my life!