Three generations: my mom, my eldest daughter and my granddaughter.
MY HOLIDAYS HELD magical photographic moments, mostly because of my granddaughter, just days shy of turning nine months old.
Isabelle is so accustomed to Grandma and her DSLR Canon that she crawls toward me whenever I have my camera in hand. So I try to be quick and sneaky, not always possible with an active baby.
But I managed, at a family holiday gathering this past weekend in southwestern Minnesota, to photograph some special moments. I’m always seeking to document emotions, interactions and everyday life. Posed portraits also hold value.
I aimed my lens toward my mom, in her eighties, and her connection to her great granddaughter. I love watching the interaction between the two generations and observing my own daughter as a loving and caring mom.
Often I found myself crawling and chasing after Izzy, sometimes placing my camera on the floor to get her perspective. That resulted in my favorite shot of the weekend—Isabelle crawling while her daddy and grandpa watched from the next room.
Grandpa also thought he should teach his grandbaby to maneuver the stairs. She’s a little too young for that. But that didn’t stop Izzy from pausing at the base of the stairway to imagine the possibilities. Stairs appear particularly daunting from a baby’s perspective.
Santa visits with my mom and my niece.
As always, Santa showed up at the extended family holiday gathering to parcel out candy, humor and questions about naughty and nice. All ages landed on his lap, earning a moment of Santa’s full attention.
There’s something magical about that—when, for a brief span of time, we all believe in Santa Claus.
© Copyright 2017 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
Loving your captures 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing. Happy New Year – Happy Week – Enjoy!!!
Thank you, Renee. Happy New Year to you also!
I love the “Izzy perspective” shots best! We forget how it is being a wee lass on all fours! Great post, Audrey. Happy New Year to you and yours.
Thank you. Izzy struggled a bit crawling in her Santa dress. Yes, I think it’s important for all of us to remember sometimes what the world looks like from a baby’s viewpoint. My camera gives me the perfect opportunity to share that perspective. Happy New Year to you and yours also!
Awesome photo’s Audrey, so wonderful that Izzy and Great grandma had some moments together. I cant help but wonder….did you get the 4 generation photo?
We didn’t get a four-generation photo. Sadly.
I just love the facial expressions especially in that third photo of the three sweethearts.
Me, too. These are the moments I most enjoy capturing with my camera.
Izzy looks like she wants to check that camera out in the first picture
My camera is pretty much like a magnet for her. I’ve tried using my cellphone to take pix of her. But because there’s a delayed reaction, I can never get a sharp image.
They do move quickly