A{nother} {Summer} Family Photo Shoot

While visiting my family for my sister's graduation, we had the fortune of spending a week in Cape May, NJ, a quaint little beach town where my family has spent many glorious vacations growing up. (More on the whole trip soon!).

When you're at the beach, and getting together is hard to come by, family photos are sort of a given.

My brother told us to pack some dark wash jeans, and generously picked up some matching goodies from "L'anana" and her sister stores (as we Frenchies call it), and with my sister's camera, some go-to poses/re-creations from our last formal photo op together, and the perfect golden hour light, we had ourselves a little photo shoot.

Surprisingly, it was sort of fun and not as painful as we expected (which is easy to do when you have zero expectations of fun or success considering the youngest subjects. Getting to play in the sand helped).

And because I'm one le tired mama right now, I'm just slapping these all in a post with as little thought as possible--literally no editing or cropping--but the good thing is that they hardly need it to begin with. (Now, to just decide which Hjelmstad clan photo should be featured in the middle of our blank gallery wall that is now going on three months of sad, lonely, emptiness. Votes welcome!).

As always, pictures are (c) the Hjelmstad/McQuaig Family, and may not be used for any reason without express permission from the owners. 

The Whole Crew

It was so insanely windy that it took a good five shots to get any of the ladies not eating their hair...
 I was glad I brought my hat for the rest!

The Kiddos

(I'll crop you out, Chica, don't worry!)

Pretty sure this one's my most favorite. Also editorial-worthy...look out, Crewcuts!

 I love how all these shots of the kids totally nail their personalities.

The HJ Clan

Option #1

Option #2 (I like the full boat but pretty sure kid expressions in #1 win).

It worked last time when the kids were getting crazy, and it worked again this time.

Option #3 (This was the best out of like 50 of this pose. I love the ocean in the background, but I'm thinking
Marie looks like she just touched one of those static electricity globes.)

The Parentals

The McQ Clan

The girls. (The all-boys photo op got derailed by a horseshoe crab sighting).

Aren't they beautiful?

And, most importantly, lots of

  S h e n a n i g a n s . 

A re-creation to make up for the lack of all-boys picture: five men and a little lady. 

If you look closely you can see the gummy worm bribes that the kids didn't choke down

before the shutter click. I don't know why, I mean, they're only upside down...

Also totally re-created from the last family photo shoot. 

I love your smile in this one, Ma!

The story on these shots: so that lovely couple necking on the lifeguard stand was there when we arrived. They saw us, and the girl told us how we were the cutest family, we were so fun to watch, etc. They even let us put the camera on the lifeguard stand ladder so we could do a few with everyone with the timer, which was quite nice of them. And then they got right back to business for the rest of the hour we were out there. We did our best to work around them, even though it made it difficult to get pictures in the boat without some canoodling photobombs. But in the end, we decided that if you can't beat 'em, just join 'em. Amiright?

And then we got a real one for good measure. (Sorry family in the background. Photoshop is coming for you).

I'll never let go, Jack! (Or guy on the lifeguard stand, whatever your name is).

And that's a wrap!