A boy and his dog | Durham Family Portraits | North Carolina

If you follow me on Instagram, you would have seen this cutie-patootie smiling back at you.  Meet G.

Durham Family Portrait Session in black & white

G. was fun to photograph and had such a sweet smile.  What made it extra special was that Mom wanted to make sure we got a photo of Riley, their dog, as well.  Riley’s an older gal who found it hard to move, but she was a champ and joined us to kick off this family portrait session.

Because our pets are a part of our families, they get to join in the family portrait session, too! | Barbara Bell Photography

We are all photographers - it is just our vision and technical abilities that separate us.

While photographing G., he also used his camera, snapped a photo, and – voila! – here’s the photographer with his image!  I love the smile on his face – he is truly beaming!

This next photo was another favorite…That smile.  Holding his parents’ hands.  And the squeeze.  That squeeze is EVERYTHING!

I have all the #hearteyes for this image of this sweet boy holding his parents' hands.

Not to be outdone, of course…

Mom and Dad in a quiet moment.

I know that my work as a children and family photographer is to capture the family, especially when children and pets are involved, but I think it’s just as important to get mom and dad together for their own quiet moment.  Looking at these two takes my breath away.  I think it’s a gift when we get to find our ‘people.’  You know who I mean, the ones who stand by our side and love us just as we are.

Thank you to this family for inviting me into their home, into their lives to capture this one moment in time.