A few weeks ago, Maggie turned one! Maggie is the youngest daughter of one of my oldest and bestest friends. Since it had been, well, a whole year since we last took their family pics, we knew we needed to get some before she got any older! We decided to try Creve Coeur Park in Maryland Heights, a completely different scenery change from their family photos last year, which were done in their backyard.
Creve Coeur Park has a 320-acre lake, which is kept stocked by the Missouri Department of Conservation. There’s a sandy beach along the north-east shore, with the “Dripping Springs” waterfall (though it’s more like a little dribble really) just to the south of the beach. There’s a sailboat cove and wildlife areas along the south and west shores. Creve Coeur Park really offers a variety of different scenery for family or senior portraits.
Since it was such a gorgeous Saturday evening, particularly being mid-August, the park was jam-packed with several wedding parties, kayakers, canoers, rowers, bicyclists, and fishers. We managed to find a quiet spot on the beach, just a few steps away from a grassy area and a wooded area.
We started shooting just before sunset, during that hour of beautiful, golden light.
Gah! I love casual family portraits that really show personality and love! And trust me, there’s a lot of personality on this family!
Maggie and Molly are definitely both Daddy’s girls- especially Maggie!
Maggie and Molly didn’t want to both smile and look at the camera at the same time, but we still got some adorable shots.
Maggie loves books! She was distracted by her book just long enough to let me sneak a few pics in.
Look at those blue eyes!
And she’s off! Isn’t she adorable?
The girls loved playing in the sand, which allowed me to capture some candid shots of the two sisters together. Molly has a wild imagination and was making up a game as the two were playing.
What? Why do we need to look at the camera? There’s sand to play with!
Maggie might be camera shy, but Molly definitely makes up for it! She is such a ham!
Can you believe she’s only four? She is so animated! She had a thousand different faces to show me.
Molly wanted to kiss mom on the cheek, too.
This was Molly’s “captain stick” Maggie has to do whatever Molly does.
Maggie is “SOOOOO Big!”
Molly has her serious side, too.
Maggie likes to do “SOOOOO Big!”
I can’t believe how fast Molly is growing up! Look at those freckles!
And there she goes with the faces again! So silly!
Look at those blue eyes and her little teeth! A rare smile for the camera from Maggie
Molly is as much Becki’s twin as Maggie is her dad’s twin.
This is what I got when I asked her for her princess face!
Jaimie Nicole Krause is a St. Louis wedding and portrait photographer.
