Instead of Posed Photos...

When we think of family photos, so many of us think of the stuffy posed photos from the 1990's. The unnatural poses and plastic smiles. But instead of posed photos, why not try to do something with the family? Let's go the unposed route for family photos! Nicole's family opted to visit Howell's Pumpkin Patch in Cumming and pick flowers from the You-Pick fields. It was an absolutely gorgeous setting and we avoided the standard poses. The family was able to focus on their interactions and connection. This is something that we often do for in-home lifestyle sessions, but it is easily adaptable to outdoor sessions as well.

We were able to capture candid moments of the children interacting with one another. The true sibling bond. Some of the shots, I did encourage some poses by giving a prompt. These two nailed the session though. I was able to capture lots of images of school-aged Z spinning in her dress and smelling the flowers.

The genuine and authentic interactions between the children and Mom and Dad are some of my favorite images. I love how the older son was so keen to be involved in photos and would easily embrace Mom without any reservations or hesitations. He knew how important these photos were for her, but I think he also enjoyed seeing the back of the camera as the session progressed. Little sister and Dad even got in on the action with the nose to nose or 'Ugga Mugga' pose.

My sessions aren't complete without a few portraits of the kids individually, a picture of Mom and Dad together sans kids, and a whole group shot. Although this session they were engaging in an activity, we still need a few shots of them looking at the camera and smiling. I call these the mantle images. These are the photos you gift to Grandma to put on her mantle. The other images are for Mom and Dad and the memories it evokes when you look at the shots.

I love the interaction outdoor lifestyle session and would love to book more: apple picking, Pumpking Carving, s'mores making, or drivewalk chalk art.