There are a lot of things I could say about this family, but the most important thing to mention first is that they’re related to me. Lucky me! Jill is my big sister. I have looked up to and admired her my whole life, so when she asked me to take her family pictures, I was honored. And nervous. And excited. Jill married Kyle when I was only 11 or 12, so he has been my brother longer than he hasn’t, and I couldn’t ask for a better brother. Jill chose very well. So did Kyle, actually. They met initially at a little people of America convention when they were teens, and Jill didn’t think much about it at first, but Kyle sure did. They met again later, started dating, got married, and lived happily ever after. Actually, a really cool and interesting fact about Jill and Kyle that not everyone knows, is that they used to do the Barney tour. Yes, that Barney. Kyle was inside the BJ suit and Jill was inside the Baby Bop suit. They did all the dancing and running around in those giant suits, and it was absolutely amazing. Jill is incredibly kind, artistic, smart, and generous. She’s an accountant and crunches numbers like a boss. Kyle is an elementary school special education teacher, and there’s never been a person more perfect for a job than Kyle is for that one. Their son, Elijah, is the coolest and sweetest teenager I’ve ever known. He’s almost 15, so he really should be moody and distant, but every time I see him, he goes out of his way to play and be kind to my kids, who are a whole lot younger than him. Eli was the very first grandkid on my side of the family, and we all immediately swooned over him. He was the cutest baby, and I still can’t believe he’s 14. Eli has a black belt in tae kwon do, or is it karate, and could probably beat everyone up. I’ve seen the amount of medals he’s hung on his closet, and it is seriously impressive. He plays the violin and loves pokemon go.
We chose the Allen station park for these photos because of all the variety. There was this super cute bridge, a lot of beautiful green areas, and a skate park. Eli and Kyle both skateboard, so this really was so much fun. I had never been to a skate park before, so I was a little nervous about it and now I know, I definitely was vindicated in feeling nervous. I was standing down in the middle of the skate park while Kyle went by me to go up and get a picture with Jill and Eli. I was almost run over once by another skateboarder, almost kicked by a guy on a scooter, and I fell down one of the walls because I was overly confident about my climbing skills in sandals with no traction. The sacrifices we make for art, right?
A lot of the locations we ended up using were chosen simply because I loved the light. I was able to get some backlighting on them, but most of it was open shade. Their pastel and light colored outfits really make the pictures feel light, bright, and helps their faces pop more. I should mention, the last couple pictures were taken at my parent’s house on a Sunday morning, very spur of the moment, while I was still in my pajamas, in harsh light. Luckily, they are a super good looking family, so those turned out okay as well. Please enjoy the pictures! Here is the Nelson Family!
😍😍😍 so good Britty! You are so talented!