Camp North End Family Photo Session
I do so many of my sessions in parks or grassy areas. I love doing these sessions because the landscape is constantly changing depending on the season. However, when Ashley agreed to do a session at Camp North End in Charlotte I was super excited. As a photographer, I love to document families and the connections they have with each other. As an artist, I love to explore new backdrops and settings. I love the creativity that comes with a new location and Camp North End provides every bit of that. There are grassy areas, overgrown railroad tracks, tree shaded spots, graffiti on the building walls, and plenty of areas to sit and play.
I always scout a location before a session no matter how familiar I am with the area. Between the weather, seasonal changes in the area, and where the sun is setting on that particular day there are a lot of factors to take in to consideration. We started our session on the overgrown railroad tracks to catch the sun before it set too low behind the buildings. They were such a fun and relaxed family and we were able to flow from one location to another easily. I always tell my clients to relax, be yourselves, and keep moving. This gives you a variety of photos to choose from rather than fifty photos of everyone looking at the camera or down at each other all from the same camera angle. I am constantly moving during the session to give you a variety of photos.
Ashley’s little boy was a ball of energy and Camp North End gave us plenty of areas to move around in so that we were never in one location for too long. Sometimes parents feel that a full session is too long and that their children will not be able to sit still for that long. That’s exactly the point though. We don’t want a session full of photos showing how your child might act on one day. My goal is to give you a gallery of photos that show your family as they are, everyday. I love the photos of kids running around, playing in a new environment, and making silly faces at the camera. If your child is shy, no problem. We will get photos of you guys snuggling together, your child’s arms wrapped around your neck, holding hands, or them grasping your leg. Nine times out of ten, children loosen up after some time and their at home personality comes through. With a background in pediatric occupational therapy, I have worked with every type of childhood personality. There is no situation in which I will feel frustrated or in which you should feel frustrated about how your child is acting.
A full session also gives us the opportunity to get a range of group photos. Even with just three people there are so many variations: all three, mom and dad, just mom and baby, just dad and baby, and then each individual alone. Ashley has her own blog and we were able to fit in some headshots for her as well.