Christine and DJ are a great couple with whom April and I adore, and are great parents to their two kids, Ava and Sean. Christine is actually an old high school friend who invited us into their lives this summer to photograph her family at their favorite place, Disneyland. I had seen Ava and Sean in social media posts that I would show April and which would inevitably be followed by an exasperated “AWWwww”, so making the trek down to Southern California for them was a no brainer.

When April and I met the Bayan family in the Disneyland parking lot, we knew instantly that we were in for a great shoot. There was a powerful energy that started right then and continued throughout the day; a combination of catching up with an old friend and also making new ones in DJ and the kids. The love this family has for each other was inspiring; it was easy to see where Ava got her moxy and how Sean, barely a year old, is so inquisitive and curious. The kids were no doubt a handful, but it is a rambunctiousness necessary to beget the confidence to become successful and happy.

The shoot itself was a heatwarming glimpse into Christine and DJ’s lives with their kids. After an 8:30AM arrival into the park, Ava took the lead darting from character to character to have her autograph book signed, each time excited hopping/jumping in place while immediately scoping the area for the next mark. After a few photos with the Pluto and the like we followed them down Main Street to some of the kid’s favorite rides in Fantasy Land, then onto Frontier Land with a nice lollipop bribe, courtesy of mom and dad.

We ended the day with It’s a Small World since it’s the kid’s world, after all.

The Bayan family made it a beautiful day for April and I, and we were truly honored to be able to give them these slices of their time as a young family.

-Joseph