Diana and her boys met me at one of their favorite downtown Baltimore playgrounds, Pierce's Park. If you're local and have never been there, get on it! This was my first visit and I was totally blown away. It's a unique mix of giant interactive sculpture, a music garden, and luscious landscaping. I also love this location because you can see the beautiful architecture of some famous Baltimore landmarks off in the distance. The boys came dressed in dragon wings and- like all devoted moms- Diana showed up lugging a couple scooters and helmets and very likely snacks and band-aids in her backpack. We had so much fun running through the willow tunnel and pretending to fly.

Photographing kids in their element means following their lead, getting down on their level, and occasionally enticing them into situations where they're cuddling up on mom. (That often takes creativity, since running around independently is pretty exciting!) I asked Diana to sit still, close her eyes, and gave the boys the "secret" task of running up from behind and tickling her. And as our session came to a close, the three were rolling down a huge grassy hill and collapsing into each other with laughter.