Featured Session: Backyard Play + Baking Cookies
One of my favorite things about being a family photographer is that I get to help families capture the everyday ways that they spend their time together.
As I prepare for each session, I always take a few key factors into consideration:
Family schedule (school schedule, nap times, meal times, etc.)
Session location (in Utah some important details to think about are proximity to and positioning around mountains, buildings, and other structures that would significantly influence lighting)
Season and time of day (the type and quality of light changes drastically throughout the day and seasonally throughout the year)
Weather
While I take a “no wrong answer” approach to each of these factors, they are something to consider as they will strongly influence the way that the photos will turn out. Documentary photography requires a willingness to adapt to “less than ideal” circumstances, but the extra work that it takes on my end always seems to produce extra magic. It’s those imperfections of the moment that really bring these photos to life.
For this session I was working with a young family of five, who wanted to highlight two of their favorite things to do together: backyard play and baking cookies. After considering each of the key factors above, we scheduled the session at their home for an early afternoon in late March.
When the day rolled around, we were met with a typical springtime overcast day. It was a bit chilly and, since we were uncertain of which way the weather would turn, we decided to start out in the backyard and go from there. The kids ran straight outside and got to their most important work: play. Soccer, playground, trampoline, scooters, we had it all going! Mom and Dad jumped in too (literally!) and by the time the rain sent us inside, everyone was feeling reinvigorated from the movement and the chilly spring air.
Once inside, everyone started warming back up and the baking began! It was such an honor to watch the way they all worked together with such gentleness and love. They took turns gathering and scooping out ingredients, told stories as they rolled out the dough, and worked together to get everything put away and cleaned up. I even learned a few baking tips as they adapted the recipe based on what they had in the pantry that day!
While we waited for the cookies to bake, I took a few detail shots and the family played a round or two of Jenga and Uno. The cookies cooled (finally!) and everyone dove in. They graciously shared some with me and I can genuinely say that it was hands-down the best cookie I’d ever eaten in my life. I love getting to celebrate and take part in the amazing hobbies and talents of my clients–you are all seriously unreal.
By this point, we had captured everything that we set out to, and I made my way home riding the high I get every time I spent time photographing Utah families. When I delivered the gallery to Mom, she responded and said, “I cried. Thank you so much.”
I sat with the simple beauty of her words for a long, long time. How could I not? It was an honor to spend time with this beautiful family, to see how they navigate the world and their relationships with each other. It’s an honor to see the diversity of thoughts and interests and pursuits that each family holds. It’s an honor to be invited into a family’s home with the sole purpose of witnessing and documenting what it looks like to simply be who they are together.
It’s an honor every time.
