When the Sinclair family reached out to me to do a family session to commemorate not only their time in Ridgecrest, but also the birthday's of their two gorgeous little girls, I must admit I might have been a little nervous.

family of four photography cinnamon wolfe photography

Kristen specifically wanted photos that were, for lack of a better term, "Ridgecrest-y". They are stationed here with the Navy and they wanted to remember their time here in the desert.

While the desert is so beautiful in so many ways, it can be a challenge sometimes to shoot. There is a LOT of direct, harsh sun and not a lot of natural diffusers (trees, tall buildings etc...). Sometimes it just feels like a constant fight with the sun to not only highlight the beauty of this dry and dusty land, but to flatter subjects in a way where they don't have crazy shadows or hotspots all over them!

I embraced my nervousness and got down to business. I have wanted to shoot out on the dry lake bed on base for a while now and this was the perfect opportunity.

We started at the beautiful church on base mostly because I absolutely love the stained glass windows in the background. Lots of grass and shade make for beautiful even light all around.

Then we headed out to the lake bed and it was a race with the sun as it was setting behind the mountains.

I really think we captured some beautiful photos that really show the beauty that the desert as to offer. So glad I was able to provide these memories for this amazingly fun and beautiful family!

Maren just turned three! What a big girl. And I didn't have a 6 with me so we improvised for Paige. 3+3 still equals 6 right? Even with all the new math floating around?

With every family session, I love taking photos of mom and dad. I find that with so many families (especially with really small kiddos) the children really take center stage, when its mom and dad holding everything together. They are the foundation, the rock. That needs to be celebrated. So I do.