A Spring Full of Ducklings

This spring brought something very special to my photography sessions — three tiny ducklings who quickly became the heart of our spring mini photoshoots.

From the outside, mini sessions can look simple: a beautiful setup, children, and a few cute ducklings. But behind the scenes it is often a mix of preparation, patience… and a little bit of chaos. Ducklings are curious little explorers and the outside world was simply too exciting for them to ignore.

During the photoshoots they loved wandering through the grass, exploring every corner of the scene and sometimes deciding that the photoshoot area was far too small for their adventures.

Because there were three of them, I started calling them Number 1, Number 2 and Number 3.

Number 1 was the biggest and the calmest. The one who usually stayed close and quietly observed everything that was happening around.

Number 2 was the true adventurer. It had the most pink bill and was always ready to run away and explore something new. But Number 2 also had a special love for music — whenever I played the flute, it would come closer and listen.

And then there was Number 3, the smallest of them all — a tiny little cutie that melted everyone’s hearts.

One of the sweetest things about the ducklings was how much they seemed to enjoy human voices. Whenever someone spoke to them, they would answer back in their own little language, as if they were having a conversation.

At home they also discovered something fascinating — the mirror. They loved standing in front of it and watching themselves, completely absorbed by their own reflections. I sometimes joked that they were my three little narcissists.

Even though photographing with ducklings is far from easy, the reactions of the children made everything worth it.

The excitement when they first saw them. The laughter when the ducklings started waddling around.
And most of all, the gentle way children instinctively cared for them — offering water, speaking softly, and watching them with curiosity and kindness.

Many parents later told me that their children were still talking about the ducklings days after the photoshoot.

Now the ducklings have grown and needed more space to run, explore and swim. They have moved to a new home in the countryside, where they can enjoy open space, water, and the company of other ducks and birds.

It was a beautiful — and sometimes messy — experience to have them with us for a while.

I still find myself going back to the photos and little videos I took of them at home. In some way, I feel like I had three tiny duckling children for a short moment in my life.

And maybe that is what makes moments like these so special.

They are small.
They are simple.
And before we even notice… they are already gone.

But the memories stay.

And sometimes I wonder — which small moments happening in our lives right now will become the memories we cherish the most one day?🌸🐥