Most of my sessions are more of what is referred to as "posed" photography... families grouped together, looking at the camera, smiling, etc. But I also love playful, candid shots and on a recent family trip to San Diego I took my daughter out to Ocean Beach for a sunset "session". I put her in this gorgeous little dress, pulled her hair up and wrapped it with one of my newborn tiebacks from Pinkytinks and told her to go have fun. And she did! She picked up sand, kelp, and shells; ran up and down the beach; jumped and played in the water; and chased seagulls and flies (quite a few of them came out just before the sun set). While most of her time was spent with her back to me, I still love the shots I got. And she had a great time, even after a small wave knocked her down... getting her soaked and extremely sandy. Although it didn't bother her a bit, she still managed to convince me her fall warranted getting a scoop of ice cream on the way home :) 

What do you think of this candid approach? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!