Rob reached out to me around Thanksgiving in regards to scheduling a springtime family session as a Christmas gift for his wife - how sweet!! I might be biased, but I think booking a photography session for a loved one might be one of the best gifts you can give. Because he booked so far in advance, he pretty much had first pick of any date he wanted, and naturally he wanted to schedule photos around when the trees start to bloom - and the Arnold Arboretum was the absolute perfect place to capture stunning family portraits!
My approach to family photos is to keep it light and fun. I love capturing connection in any session I do, and in order to do so I focus on prompting rather than posing. So many families tell me that they feel awkward in front of the camera, and I find that by giving them things to do, I'm able to get authentic reactions from both the parents and the kids. Depending on the kids' ages, some of my favorite prompts include "run and hug mom and dad like you haven't seen them in FOREVER!", red light green light, tickle fight, walk holding hands and bumping into each other, and piggy back rides. Sometimes I'll pose the family and call out funny things to get them all laughing and smiling like "look at whoever has the stinkiest feet!" or "look at whichever parent is the WORST cook!" Doing things like this helps keep the kids active and engaged and pulls real smiles from them which is always the best!
I loved working with the Croteaus, and we had so much fun during their session!
