Taylor and Tessa are quite possibly two of the cutest sisters I have ever seen. Their parents wanted some updated portraits (they grow up so fast) and also wanted to have a “Christmassy” one to use for a card. I was fortunate enough to do the newborn pictures of Tessa a little over a year ago (you can see the newborn pictures of Tessa here), so I was eager to see both girls again. Needless to say, they have grown considerably in the time since their last visit.

Taylor came dressed in a beautiful burgundy dress with white polka dots. And once she got used to the surroundings of the studio, she was a natural in front of the camera.

Her younger sister, Tessa, was a tad more trepidatious when it came to being photographed. Her mom describes Tessa as a little firecracker-bold, sassy, free spirited, and often has explosions of energy.

We tried setting her an iPad tuned to bubble guppies in front of her, but it wasn’t interesting enough to lose herself in the moment. Even the comfort of her big sister next to her wasn’t enough to turn her frown completely the other way around.

We also tried playing some music and encouraging both sisters to dance. There was some success with that method…

So what finally did the trick? Christmas ornaments of all things! Tessa loved playing with them! Moving them to and fro, picking them up and throwing them, or just passing them to Taylor who used them to make geometric shapes…so much fun! So that’s what it took for Tessa to forget where she was and show that cute smile we knew was there, just hidden well. Just look at the progression of Tessa’s enjoyment (and the movement of the ornaments) of the next three pictures.

Next time Taylor and Tessa come for some portraits, I’m sure that Tessa will be all too ready to follow in her sister’s footsteps and show some really big smiles, even if it does take some timbits to bring it out of her.  I can’t wait!