During our pre-portrait consultation, Elena’s mom said she was drawn to contact us because of both my Africa photography and Washington DC area-family photography, and the natural expressions and excitement about life that she saw in my photography. And so we met up at the beautiful Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna, Virginia for Elena’s 12-month family photography session. Elena’s mom brought two different outfits for Elena to wear, as well as Elena’s favorite stuffed animal, which added some variety to the photos. I love all the different expressions on little Elena’s face that showed up throughout our portrait session, from the intent concentration to the joyful laughs to the 'dad, don't kiss me' look. Enjoy!