Greg and Sonya chose to have their session on their 80 acres of property in Canandaigua. It was the kind of place where you drive down the driveway and are transported to somewhere else entirely.  It’s their very own nature preserve with trails, a pond, and stunning landscaping.

If you have a house that you feel is photographable, it’s a simple option that’s one less thing to think about.  And if it’s a peaceful place for you, then it add a layer of meaning to the images as well.

Alex wasn’t super thrilled with having family photos taken but had a fantastic smile anyway. Viv, on the other hand, seemed to be having a blast.  Also isn’t her hair spectacular?? Some day I’ll do my hair sometimes!

People often ask about the best time of day for photos. In general on sunny days it’s best to avoid around 11-2, which of course, is when this session was. With a little off camera lighting it’s definitely doable, but in general, morning or evening is best. Sometimes life doesn’t cooperate though, and you just have to go with it.

I love this series of each kid with each parent. It’s a little thing but a detail that can easily be overlooked. Thinking of different combinations of family members is definitely worth doing.

The landscaping around their house was also stunning. Keeping plants in planters alive during a summer like this takes some serious dedication!

Pet photography is not as difficult as it might seem. Most dogs are more than happy to pose with a little treat-bribery.  Getting them to also look in the right direction is a little bit trickier but can be done!

Thank you so much Sonya and Greg for sharing your beautiful family with me!!!

Krista decided to have family photos taken because it had been a very long time since they’d all had them done and they wanted to update their walls and provide some photographic love for the grandparents.

We met at Genesee Valley Park on a beautiful fall day and just about hit peak colors, which can be tricky to do!

GVP is one of the top 5 locations for outdoor photography in Rochester.  It has an excellent variety of architecture, water and foliage.

Brian and Krista relocated from Albany so that Brian could pastor a local church. They opted for a few professional headshots during their session.

And of course it’s never a bad idea to have updated photos of you and your husband or wife. Those images tend to get neglected over the years.

Josh attends high school locally and I tried to get a few hobbies out of him but was unsuccessful. He was a really good sport about the photos – which I would imagine weren’t at the top of his bucket list.

Thank you so much Brian, Krista and Josh for sharing your family with me. I hope our paths cross again soon!

There are babies, and then there are fur babies. We take photos to remember the past which is especially important when we’re separated from someone we love. Jo and Chris decided to have family photos taken because their beloved dog Mana was diagnosed with bone cancer and they wanted to remember their time with her.

If you’ve ever lost a pet you know the pain runs deep. It was a beautiful idea to capture these memories.

Their adult son Nai also joined us for the session.

Chris and Jo took advantage of this year’s mini sessions at Corbett’s Glen in Brighton. If you’d like to learn how to win a free mini session in 2018, click here to subscribe.

Their other dog Loke also joined us.

If you’re photographing dogs, treats are a huge help in getting them to sit and look at a camera. It’s obvious when you think about it, but an easy thing to miss while planning out your session.

Thank you so much Jo, Chris and Nai for sharing your time with me. I hope your final days with Mana are filled with joy and peace.

Rita and Chris recently moved here from the Chicago area to direct the theater programs at Nazareth and Geva respectively.  It’s easy to take for granted how much Rochester has for a small-ish city, but clearly there’s more to the arts scene in Rochester that meets the eye.

Nazareth also has a great school program where kids and adults can go for $7 per person with groups. If your kids’ school doesn’t already have a field trip set up it’s absolutely worth looking into.

Noah would have much much preferred to be playing any kind of sport than hanging out with me, but once we started playing catch with the oinky pig we made friends.

Sonya on the other hand would have let me photograph her all day long.

We met at Brighton Town Park, which is a fantastic and underused location. It has mature weeping willow trees, water and a path with a parking lot a short distance away. If you’re looking for something ever so slightly off the beaten path this park is worth considering. For more information on how to choose a great location, click here.

Rita did that really difficult clothing thing where you take a plaid shirt and match the colors of other shirts. It’s hard to do but looks amazing. For more on how to choose clothing for a photo session, click here.

And if you’re ever in need of a professional head shot, taking one during your family photo session is a super economical way to do it!

Thank you so much Rita and Chris for sharing your beautiful family with me!

When my kids ask for pets I tell them, “we have kids, not pets.”  A person can only be stretched so far.  But Kristen had a pretty ingenious setup – the kids gave the puppies to grandma and grandpa for Christmas, so they have a puppy-aunt and puppy-uncle kind of situation happening.  Win-win!

On this beautiful fall day we met at Sandy Peters’ house, owner of Peters’ Puppies. The night before she had been up with the puppies every two hours making sure they were clean and had eaten. Her heart for puppy raising is infectious.

And what’s not to love about puppies? Kendall and Eddie were very exciting to be taking this little guys “home” (to grandma’s house) shortly after this session.

At a little less than six weeks the puppies were a little feisty when awake, but still slept a lot and were particularly snuggly when drowsy.

I had the opportunity to photograph this same litter a few weeks earlier when they were a bit younger. There were nine of them – watching them hop through the yard was like watching popcorn pop.

Congratulations to Eddie and Kendall! I hope you’re enjoying your beautiful dogs who are probably not so little anymore!

Corbett’s Glen is known for its iconic tunnel which graces many a family photo here in Rochester. A place that has interesting architecture is a huge plus when you’re choosing a photography location. If you’d like to learn more about how to pick a great location for family portraits, click here.

McKenzie and Brianna weren’t sure that they were really into having their pictures taken until I bribed them with sugar and then they were about 300% on board.

I didn’t even have to make a fool of myself – they just smiled their beautiful smiles on cue.

The sun was setting as we finished up, which cast beautiful light through the trees behind them. “Natural light” photography is popular but this is an example of when adding light to an image can make it stand out.

This is my personal favorite from the session. The kids really enjoyed this one, and I think Brian and Christina did too.

And just for fun, here’s a flashback to 2013.  They’ve grown up so much!!!

Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful family with me!  I hope you have a wonderful fall.

Sarah is a midwife who’s been serving women in Rochester for quite some time.  She’s attended every one of my births over the last eight years.  In the winter, I wanted to reward some remarkable people and Kara nominated Sarah with this lovely essay: click here to read it.

It was an honor to be able to give a little bit back to her.  On my way down to Conesus I couldn’t help but recall all my memories of her attending my births – first as a student, and then on the phone as my husband caught Eli.  For a few of them, she was pregnant herself.

Sarah, thank you so much for all of the ways you’ve blessed the women of Rochester!

Sarah had each of the kids hold something that was meaningful to them.  Lily was holding a kitten, which she re-captured for the next picture.

This is the gate to the garden where Sarah spends “a lot of time.”  I bet – it’s huge!!!  They also have their own chickens, rabbits, cows, kittens, turkeys and probably other animals I didn’t have a chance to meet.

Sarah specifically chose the formal dresses in the woods look, which she loves.  I loved it too!

A little after session treat…

For example, boys need to wrestle like they need food or water.  I told them to lay down on the blanket and this was what happened.

But of course we didn’t forget grandma!

Jumping doesn’t fit every family’s personality, but with a house full of boys it often does.