As photographer Alison Yin has noticed, “Kids are used to being photographed all the time, so they’ve become trained to smile on command once they see the camera (or phone) lift.” Which is why when parents initially rounded up this group of cousins at a wedding in Evergreen Lodge outside of Yosemite National Park in California, Yin had no problem getting the classic “say cheese” smiles.

But she also wanted something a little more authentic. After the posed pictures, she asked the kids to relax and act natural, resulting in this candid image.

“These kids fed off one another’s energy,” Yin says, and catching the tallest kid mid-hair toss helped tie the frame together. “His demeanor, juxtaposed with the other kids who are a little younger and being wacky, is my favorite part of the photo.”

(Captured using a Canon 5D Mark II with a 50mm lens.)

Photo © Alison Yin

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