It's okay not to smile.

Photography is such a subjective thing. My husband thinks that in order to be a good picture, all body parts should be in the frame, you should be looking at the camera and smiling. I don't exactly agree. While I understand as a mom that those precious smiley pictures are wonderful, I like the serious pictures too... and the ones where they aren't looking at the camera... and tight, tight crops that accentuate features like those big baby blues. In fact, some of my favorite photos of my own children do not contain smiles.

This week I had the opportunity to photograph 6 toddlers (barely!) from a playgroup. Some of the moms were concerned that the babies weren't smiling, but I still feel like we got some nice shots...

Don't get me wrong. I'll work hard for the smiles. There's nothing more gratifying. But shots like these show children being children. Don't forget to document the "everyday" and not just the smiles.