Fall is a great time for family photos in Philadelphia. The days grow shorter which means that your younger children are still awake (and somewhat happy) at golden hour! This year’s fall mini sessions took place at my favorite South Philly (Pennsport) location for family photos, Dickinson Square Park. What I love about Dickinson Square Park is it’s mature trees, playground and gorgeous rose bush on the corner. This year we were blessed with 2 beautiful days, one sunny & one overcast – both made for gorgeous family photos. Here are a few of my favorite shots from our Fall Mini Sessions! Also, these booked up FAST this year, if you want to get on my email list, you’ll get first dibs in the Spring! Email sweetpeashots@gmail.com
I have a long list of “favorite things”… getting extended families together for photo sessions is high on my favorite things to photograph for MANY reasons. Here are my top reasons why you need to gather your family together for an Extended Family Photoshoot:
1. FUN: yes, it may seems stressful to you to organize 15 people for family photos but I really feel that with more people, we have a ton more fun. There are more people to help get the little ones attention or sooth an upset baby quickly! There is more energy and excitement and that can really take your session to the next level. Also, I do my best to be flexible and help everyone get a little bit of what they want out of the photoshoot!
2. MEMORIES: not only will the memory of the session last a lifetime, the photos will live on for generations (which is literally my dream, how cool is that?)
3. OPTIONS: the more people, the more opportunity to take those very special moment photos. Each grandkid with grandmom may be top on my list of photos to take when we get extended families together (see below of little CeCe and Mamie omg!)
So here you are going to see a family that is near and dear to my heart many times over. I met Gerald in 2004 while attending WCU through my (now husband) boyfriend and rocked out to his music for many many years. I also met his wife at WCU back in 2006 and she has been one my bestest girlfriends ever since. As this love story would have it, together rocking out to The New Connection and spending many late nights at my house, these two fell in love. Most recently, they welcomed a baby boy “Little Gerry” AKA Julian into their lives. Watching their family grow has been so exciting and beautiful! I’ve also had the pleasure of getting know their extended family so I was super excited to have the opportunity to bring everyone together for this special shoot at a park at Broad Run Park in Downingtown, PA! Enjoy!
Engagement sessions are the best. Honestly, just gimme two people completely in love and I could snap photos all day. One of my most favorite things is when I tell a couple “just be yourself…pretend I’m not here!” and it actually works! Keara & Clarence couldn’t take their eyes off of each other during our shoot in Valley Forge Park and it was just adorable. And then these two broke out the champagne, seriously – this is my kind of couple! Can’t wait until their wedding in May!
So, I’ve totally spoken about the little love I have for “The C” better known as The Connection before. In a previous posts, I put into words what I love about the Photo Connection and why old family photos bring so much emotion to me..but this particular post is more about the personal connection with others. The power of doing something together and how it is ALWAYS better than doing something on your own. The power of creating collaborations with other people and compromising to make something extra ordinary. I’ve been feeling a lot of this recently because of a summer connection with some fantastic ladies – which then prompted the thought of other collaborations going on around me and how powerful it is.
connection |kəˈnekSHən|
1 a relationship in which a person, thing, or idea is linked or associated with something else
One of my first thoughts was music – which is a big part of my life here in South Philly. While writing this, obviously, I am listening to The New Connection album from like 2007 – which you should also start doing right now (it’s my husband’s band so I may be a tad bit bias). ALL of my friends have some sort of musical talent – so much talent that they are all in multiple bands and have played around the world. Music is one giant collaboration – from the instruments and the recording equipment to even the space. All of it works in conjunction with the other and if one thing changes, the entire sound may change. Photographing the connections musicians have with each other live on stage or in the studio gives me the connected feeling!
One of the newest collaborations of some talented friends, Secret American.
This other connection that has been a big one for me is my relationship with other creatives. It is more of a recent thing, as I did not see myself as a creative in the past…but it has taken these connections to push my imagination and therefore, allowed me to accept that I too, have creativity. So I have been navigating through styled shoots, doing two of them and now planning the third – and I GET IT. Sure, maybe I’m not getting paid or maybe I’m even paying to put this thing together but WOW! This “for fun” photoshoot has me unable to sleep because I am trying to come down from the creativity high – which I totally didn’t believe my husband about BTW – he goes into his studio and works for hours in the middle of the night just to get it out AND LIKE, I GET IT NOW. But, back to what I’m trying to say…I can’t honestly put together a styled shoot by myself, well, I could but the moral here is – you NEED to connect with other people to make the magic happen. You need to collaborate, have fun, experiment, build relationships and its OK if something turns out unexpected or the whole thing falls apart because no matter what, you took a risk, you tried and you learned from it…that experience and the connection. It will all come back to you if you continue to make build relationships with others – so when you can, work your pretty little butt off and have fun with your friends!
It took us about 3 hours to drive from LA into the Mojave/Colorado Dessert…a journey through long roads lined with windmills and snow-capped mountains. We finally reached this magical place full of funky trees and the cutest western town you ever did see.
“I found myself in Joshua Tree” -Me
Seriously though, you would too. Especially when you were able to go on a photoventure with such beautiful souls, enjoy.
oh, and if you ever venture out to this gorgeous place, please check out La Copine & tell em “Philly told me to come!” Brunch was super yummy, I still dream about that breakfast hash… mmm…
Have you ever had that feeling looking through your family’s old photographs…a tug on your heart strings –this real connection feeling? Photographs are able to take you back to a time and place and sometimes, even a feeling. Recently, my grandmother sent me albums full of photographs from the late ’50s to mid ’90s of my mom – I felt like I learned so much about her childhood growing up in Upstate, NY. Photographs from their camping trips to halloween and first communions. Photos tell the story when you are no longer able to. I’ve always had this obsession with visually documenting the places I’ve been, my favorite moments with my dearest friends. Some people document with words, they write down the feelings but me – I have to see it to remember it. So I urge you to think about your grandkids, and maybe even their grandkids…looking back at your life and the visual images that may continue on well after you do. Think about how connected they may feel to you and your experiences, making up stories in their head about you. Dreaming of simpler times (can you believe 2017 may be thought of to be a “simpler time” someday? scary.)
What I love about being able to take photos for others is that hunt I feel searching for that organic feeling, trying to capture so much more than just the moment. My favorite photos tend to be the more candid ones, catching that close moment between a child & parent…the almost kiss or sparkle of love in someones eyes. So whatever you do, take a second to snap a shot – you may not realize the story it may hold for years to come.
And, every once in awhile…when you want a picture of you and a loved one, I’d love to do my best to capture that special moment for you.
Enjoy some of my favorite shots from some family photo albums:
