When Kelsey White responded to our model search for the spring issue of Southern Muse, I learned pretty quickly that her girls aren’t exactly afraid of getting dirty.

Tinsley, the youngest, races dirt bikes. Her big sister Emerson races four-wheelers.

So naturally, we decided to do something completely different.

We planned mother-daughter portraits in my Greenwood SC studio — beautiful dresses, lots of tulle and an afternoon of dress-up.

Mother-Daughter Portraits in Greenwood SC

We planned a dress-up portrait session for Kelsey and her daughters — beautiful dresses, lots of tulle and an afternoon in the studio.

I loved the idea of photographing another side of these girls. The dirt bikes and four-wheelers are absolutely part of who they are, but so is this.

We started with portraits of Kelsey with each of her daughters and then all three together. I wanted those photographs to feel timeless and beautiful without becoming too formal.

And that lasted for a little while.

And Then We Let Them Be Kids

Once we finished the quieter portraits, Tinsley and Emerson were ready to move.

They ran. They laughed. They twirled those enormous skirts. Hair went everywhere.

Those ended up being some of my favorite photographs from the entire session.

That’s one of the things I love about photographing children. A beautiful portrait doesn’t have to mean asking a child to suddenly become quiet and serious. Sometimes the portrait that tells you the most about them is the one made when you give them a little room to just be themselves.

Portraits That Hold More Than One Side of Them

Someday Tinsley and Emerson may not remember exactly what they wore for this session.

But they’ll know that they raced dirt bikes and four-wheelers. They’ll remember being sisters. Kelsey will remember what it felt like when they were still this little.

And now they’ll also have the photographs of the afternoon they traded the racing gear for tulle and danced around the studio with their mom.

That feels worth keeping.

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