In the few hours I got to spend taking photos of Libby with her family and friends, I couldn’t help but think of what life must be like for the newly 12 year old. She’s such a funloving young lady, with two sets of parents who love her, a group of friends who I’m sure have been and will be there in, what I expect to be, a most formidable part of her adolescence…plus she’s so young, with so much more life to live ahead of her. At 31 years old, I have to say that I’m almost jealous. =)

Happy, Happy Birthday, Libby! I hope this day is something you won’t soon forget!

I had forgotten how much energy 12-year olds have, and I was reminded this past Saturday after spending about 2 1/2 hours shooting photos of ten of them. Libby, my friend Christy’s step-daughter, celebrated her 12th birthday getting dolled up with her friends for a photo shoot at the beach.

I have to admit that upon getting this assignment, I was a bit concerned. I’d taken thousands of pictures of brides and grooms, children even, but pre-teens? Oh dear. How deep into my adolescence would I have to dig in order to find a way to relate to these girls? How do I get them to be comfortable  in front of the camera? In the end, I was worried for nothing because Libby and her friends barely needed any motivation at all. The energy? I was the one who had to keep up. They were a boisterous and friendly bunch of gals who did everything I asked of them – please sit on the sand, please run through the waves, please climb that big rock, JUMP!  I really couldn’t have asked for a better group of subjects to shoot…well, actually, Libby’s family was right up there too. But I’ll save that for the next post. =)