At least once in our lives we all come across that one person with the timid smile behind which hides the biggest heart made of gold. I've been lucky enough to come across that kind of person not only in my person life but also in professional, and had the honor of documenting Maria and her family on camera.  

Maria contacted me because she received a gift certificate for a family session and soon after I had her in my studio chatting about places we will go to do her session. Unlike many of my clients, Maria knew exactly where she wanted to shoot so I knew this will be a very fun evening that we will spend together.  And I was right! Her three boys absolutely loved running around, climbing rocks, play-fighting, imagining we were cavemen, knights in armor, forrest elves, ninjas and samurais. (And I even got her husband Juan to smile on camera in a few photos, though I will not be posting them here to reserve those very rare and special photos for family only). So much laughter we all shared that my face hurt when we were done. But the most amazing part of our shoot was watching the relationships unfold before my eyes. To her boys Maria is a guardian angel that keeps them safe, warm and loved, and to the boys she is a role model, she is more than a mother, she is a muse, she inspires them and adds to each of their very different personalities. I hope I got to capture them truly as they are, and here are my favorites from our time together a while back.