I hadn't seen the Richardsons or their beautiful baby girl in nearly a year so I was ecstatic when they requested a Portland slot for Baby Adah-Leigh's one-year photo session. They live very close to a farm on the gorgeous Sauvie Island which is now one of my favorite places to shoot! I was very excited to be going back.

Since Adah was born in the late fall, we photographed her newborn photos in their home but the weather was beautiful for her one-year shoot and we would be filming outside. In another lucky turn of events, the farm was closed the day I was able to shoot so, with special permission from Sauvie Island Farms, we were able to shoot with an entirely people-free background! 


The entire day performed beautifully for us: the sun was shining, the colors were brilliant and Baby Adah-Leigh and her wonderful parents were so incredibly easy to work with. Towards the end of our shoot, we walked through the orchard to their house so we could take photos of Adah on the steps of her first home. On the way, we stopped and said hi to the animals where adventurous little Adah stuck her finger in the chicken coop. Before long, a chicken came up and pecked her finger. Naturally, little Adah-Leigh cried but after a few sweet words from her mom, she was back to running around in the sunshine. 

"That's what I love about her, she can get pecked by a chicken and she's perfectly fine in 30 seconds," Lucas, Adah-Leigh's father, said. 

I realized then how right he was. Lucas and his wife, Krissy, are the epitome of down-to-earth people: they are happy to have what they have, they are so grateful for the smallest act of kindness and they don't stress or show their discomfort during our photo shoots (it can be unnerving being in front of a camera). They treat Adah-Leigh like the smart child she is and she reacts accordingly. They have provided me with an example and a level of parenting I will strive for with my future family. They always gush about their photos and how much they love them but they have also given me lessons that I won't soon forget and I'm so thankful to have them as clients. 

Here are some of my favorite photos from Adah-Leigh's one year photo session: