Nominee #20

Pure joy, Mommy throwing her into the trees.  I've photographed this girl since she was crawling and getting a smile from her is like getting my 7 year old to make his bed.  Darn near impossible.  But the second Mom threw her in the air, I had another split second to catch that enormous grin.  And catch it, we did!

Nominee #19

I told them I was checking my light.  Which was true!  It just happened to be the light was spot on, Mom and Sister shared the sweetest look, and Dad talked to brother.  This photo was a huge boost for me, right in the middle of the holiday season.  It reminded me how to find emotion in the moment.  Pure love.

Nominee #18

Mama held her high in the air and she grabbed a blossom.  She discovered flowers on trees that day.  And I know I will treasure this photo forever and ever. 

Nominee #17

There are no words.  The colors.  The emotion.  Aah.  One of my earliest shots, taken last spring.  And still one of my absolute favorites. 

Nominee #16

Sometimes, the only way to get a smile is with a little peek a boo.  Around Mom's legs.  We happened to catch Dad in the background, which made this my favorite peek a boo shot of the season.

Nominee #15

A big group hug.  And the littlest was almost swallowed up.  Within moments, the sister had grabbed the light saber and was swatting with it.  But in this blink of an eye, we caught the love. 

Nominee #14

Sometimes.  Ok most of the time, babies are not happy!  I love how Dad was willing to do whatever it took to get a smile, if an upside down one.  You can tell brother is so jealous, sister is trying not to laugh, and mom is ever-composed.  Such a great capture-the-moment shot.