o family ~ an adventure with the grandparents

This family reached out to me last fall hoping to book a fall session but I was already booked up. Luckily (for me), they were willing to wait until the spring so that we could do the session together. Grandma’s birthday present was a little late, but hopefully she still loves it!

I took them to a very pretty, quiet spot with a lake and a cool bridge. The kids loved running around and I was able to pique their interest by saying that we had to keep a lookout for the troll that may or may not live under that bridge. The light was gorgeous, the kids were adorable and this family has been around the block a time or two— they came totally prepared with snacks and other bribing tools to coerce the kids into being cooperative. The session included my client and her husband and kids, her parents, and her brother and his wife and son. A little way into the session, my client’s sister-in-law asked how she should pose to show off her baby bump. I was so surprised and excited for them! These grandparents had even more to celebrate than having their family all together <3

We spent a lot of time at the bridge taking pictures and then we did go underneath it to “check for trolls.” We didn’t find any but what we DID find was a really cool spot to watch the little waterfall where you felt like you were almost IN the lake. I love getting shots of parents just enjoying their kids— getting to show and explain to them different things in nature, watching the wonder in their eyes.

It was a beautiful night and it was so much fun for me to feel like a member of the family for a night. One of the challenges that I find for extended family sessions is making sure that I still capture those unposed in-between moments that are so special— as well as the looking-at-the-camera-and-smiling shot list that the family wants. I know those pictures are important to have, but I also want them to remember how much they laugh together, how silly the kids are, the way the grandparents interact with the grandchildren. My goal with these sessions is to capture all of that… so that this moment in time is truly preserved for this family.