Fall Family Sessions, While There's Still Time

This summer my daughter got married.

I know, I know, I've probably mentioned it a hundred times since August. But here's the part I haven't really talked about yet. Somewhere between the dress fitting and the last dance, it hit me that this particular chapter of our life was over. Not in a sad way, exactly. More like a door closing while I was busy looking somewhere else.

My friend Rachel, who does makeup for a lot of my client sessions, went through something similar this year. Her daughter packed up and moved to the US for school. One week she was home for dinner every night, and the next, she was gone, building a whole life a border away.

If you know that feeling, the strange stretch where you can sense the end of something coming even if nobody's said it out loud yet, you're exactly who I'm thinking about right now.

We photograph every stage except this one

Think about it. We take pictures of newborns. We book sessions for first birthdays, kindergarten, grad photos. There's practically an industry built around documenting babies and little kids.

But the years right before everyone scatters? Those mostly go undocumented. Everyone's busy. Life is loud and full and moving fast, and somehow a family photo never quite makes it to the top of the list.

Then one day the last kid moves out, and you realize the most recent photo of your whole family together is from a phone, at a birthday party, half the family looking the wrong way.

A short window, once a year

This is why, for a few weeks each fall, I open up a small number of family sessions. Not because I've added family photography to my regular lineup (my studio work is still headshots, personal branding, and personal portraits), but because as a mother of older kids, these particular types of family portraits are dear to my heart.

A few things to know if you're considering this:

Sessions are outdoor only. Calgary has some beautiful spots for this time of year, and honestly, the light we get right now is some of the prettiest all year.

Spots are limited. I'm only taking two or three sessions this year, and they need to happen between now and October 15th. After that, the window closes until next fall.

What an outdoor family session actually looks like

If you've never done one of these, it's a lot less stiff than you might picture.

A good outdoor family session usually starts with just walking somewhere pretty together. I like to start with the more traditional classic shots. Everyone looking at the camera, because you will want at least one of these for the wall or holiday card. Some people think these are boring, but these are actually my favorite images.

The rest of the session is more casual. I’ll have you walking, holding hands, talking to each other, laughing, and just being yourselves. So you’ll get a variety of styles of images to choose from.

If you'd like to grab one of the spots

If this is speaking to you, just send me a message. I'll get back to you with dates and details. Since there are only two or three spots and they need to wrap up by October 15th, I'd rather hear from you sooner than later.

And if the timing doesn't work this year, that's okay too. This is something I plan to keep doing each fall, so there will be another window next year.

A note for everyone else

If a family session isn't what you're after right now, but you've been wanting some updated outdoor photos of yourself for your website, LinkedIn, or just for you, outdoor sessions work beautifully for personal branding too. Same golden fall light, same relaxed approach, just focused on you instead of the whole crew.

Either way, if you've been thinking about getting some new photos taken, whether of your family or of yourself, reach out to me and we can talk about how you’d like to be photographed.

A few questions people ask

Do you offer family photography year round? No, just this small window in the fall. The rest of the year my studio work is headshots, personal branding, and personal portraits for women.

Are these sessions in the studio or outdoors? Outdoors only. Calgary's fall light is some of the best we get all year, and it makes for a much more relaxed, natural feeling session than a studio backdrop.

How do I book one of the spots?Just send me a message. There are only two or three spots this year, and they need to be scheduled before October 15th.