I was contacted by Kate a few weeks ago about setting up a session for her new baby. She had seen my photos of her neighbors, Stephen & Meghan and had been looking for a photographer, which worked out perfectly! I have not yet had the chance to shoot a newborn/baby session, and I was very excited to have another challenging aspect of photography to take on.  It became even better when I was told that the new baby’s name was Theo (Theodore) – it seemed like a perfect match from the get go! We arranged a date and time to meet at Hermann Park, and arrived on that day an hour or so before sunset to begin shooting. Once we arrived, Kate’s husband Trevor and I immediately exchanged quizzical “Do I know you?” glances. It turns out that Trevor and I had been next door neighbors when we were both growing up, and we regularly participated in Super Soaker wars and Halloween candy runs together. It was another really funny coincidence, one more to add to the list!

Little Theo was very quiet at first, most likely wondering who this strange guy was and why he was talking so many photos. Propped up on a blanket overlooking the pond at Hermann Park, his bright blue eyes shone brightly, almost like there was a little light inside each one. He studied everything with his hands and mouth, stopping occasionally to check out what mom or dad was doing. Trevor then placed a cowboy hat on Theo’s head, which worsened Theo’s already questionable balance causing him to slump over with a surprised look on his face. Once he was righted, we got some awesome shots of him in his new cowboy gear. From there, we got some nice shots of the family together, during which I also got some unplanned shots, which are always my favorite. Theo occasionally voiced his displeasure, but was a real trooper the whole time!

With the sun beginning to hang low in the sky, we made our way over to the Sam Houston statue at the top of the park. The statue has a great significance to this little family, as this was where Trevor popped the question to Kate. Wanting some updated shots with Theo in them, we waited for a group to clear from the statue and began shooting. We’d only been shooting for a minute or two when we heard frantic talking and laughing behind us, in what I can only assume was Japanese. I glanced behind me and there was a group of about 5 Japanese tourists taking photos of Theo, the parents, and even me taking photos of Theo! They seemed to LOVE that Theo was all decked out in tiny cowboy boots, and immediately asked if they could take their photo with the family. Kate and Trevor obliged them for a couple of photos until they asked to hold the baby, a request which Trevor politely, yet sternly, denied.

After the tourists left, we got a few last shots in the perfect fading golden light before packing up and heading for home. Theo made the process so easy! Robert of Dabert Photography assisted me in the shoot and echoed my sentiments, saying that his past shoots with kids had not gone nearly as smoothly. Trevor and Kate’s willingness to play around in front of the camera helped so much as well, and it shows in the great photos that we were able to capture.

For family and friends, you can view the entire gallery as well as purchase prints at the link below!

http://www.civitello.smugmug.coom/people/theodore

Thanks again to Trevor and Kate – I can’t wait to work with you both again!

On to the photos!