A rainy day photo opportunity: A little one playing in the puddles!

Last weekend we had a house full of family members for my wife's grandmother's 95th birthday party. Along with all the grown-ups, we had my niece's two year old son, Silas, who flew in from Texas. Before their flight home, we all thought that it would be good for him to run around and get his energy out of his system (and he has A LOT of energy). The problem was, it was raining outside. And then we figured...so what...lets let him be a boy and have fun in the rain. So the fun began.

He started out relatively dry as he explored the street. I had just come back from shooting portraits of some friends at the local park and had all my camera gear in the truck. I saw Silas in action and quickly grabbed the 5D Mark II and the 70-200mm lens.

 Puddle jumping - you gotta love that!

And then he decided to plop down and become one with the gutter. There is nothing better than capturing images of an innocent child just being a child. No direction, just following the action.

 He was watching me watching him.

And then he was back to playing with his little toy. (Photo hint: When kids are playing, just let them play and capture the moments as they unfold. If you have a mother behind you trying to get them to smile or get their attention, politely ask them to refrain from the cues and try to get the real emotions of the moment. Trust me, they will appreciate this later when they see the final images.)

This is one of my favorite images for two reasons. First of all, I got down on my knee and shot the image at his level, which helps to bring us closer to him. (Photo hint: When photographing children or pets, try getting down to their level to really see them in their world.) Secondly, I love the concentration on his face as he trudges through the water.