This year was a fantastic year to be at Corbett’s Glen. It’s one of the top 5 outdoor photography locations in Rochester for a reason. They put up signs this year, leading me to believe you couldn’t go “off the trail”, only to realize later that they just didn’t want you to climb in that particular spot. Which is all to say that it’s perfectly legal to take pictures by the waterfall. Phew!

Kimberly works in health care, John is an entrepreneur with big machinery, and Jack keeps them on their toes.

People are sometimes hesitant to have portrait sessions with two year olds because of their two-year-old-ness. No need to worry though – most two year olds are active and that’s the great thing about outdoor sessions. They leave plenty of time for kids to run around and be kids while still getting some amazing family photographs.

They said their family loves to be outside so they fell in love with this location. Be sure to check out how to choose a great location – Rochester has some great spots to choose from.

Thank you so much Kimberly and John for sharing your beautiful family with me!

If you ever meet Pete, be sure to call him Pete, or Pita because the American version of Peter sounds horrifying to British people who are named Peter. Just so you know.

Pearl and Pete graced New York with their presence when they moved back stateside not too long ago. Pete’s mom came over from England for a few weeks, so they took advantage of the fall mini-sessions to have some family portraits taken. If you’d like to be notified of this year’s mini sessions, be sure to hop on the email list.

Pat is an awesome grandma and Pearl very much appreciated her hard work getting them acclimated to their new house in Pittsford.

There is no shortage of locations in Rochester and interestingly, I’d never been to Cobb’s Hill before this day – not even for non photographic purposes. It really was a fantastic spot with a lot of options in a small area.

One of the best things about hiring a photographer is that whoever is the picture-taker in the family actually has the opportunity to be in photos. They may or may not love that, but for sure it’s always good to have some kind of photographic evidence that a parent was present and accounted for.

White or black is a classic choice for photos since most people have clothing in those colors. For more ideas about what to wear during a photo session, click here.

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

Their family has grown!  Since the last time I saw Stephanie and Dan, they welcomed their beautiful son Chase into the world.

They may quite possibly have the easiest to photograph kids on the planet. Both Chase and Conor were all smiles the whole time and reduced my job to basically pushing buttons.

Stephanie and Dan chose Mendon Ponds because it was the location of their last session. It’s so much fun to see the difference between then and now – including choosing some of the same spots for comparison.

If you need help with ideas for where you have your photo session, click here for how to choose a great photography location. Or for quick picks, check out the top 5 outdoor locations in Rochester.

Chase should totally be a baby model.

There’s nothing like hanging out with your dad. Is this not the best smile ever?

Moms of course, are also pretty awesome.

I loved their blue and white theme. This is harder to do than it looks! Stephanie did a fantastic job with everyone’s clothing. If you’d like to read more about how to choose clothes for your photo session, click here.

Thank you so much Stephanie and Dan for sharing your beautiful family with me!!!

Jenn, Dave, Sydney and I met at Corbett’s Glen for their family photo session. Sydney was just about the perfect age and perfect temperament – she was absolutely lovely.

They won this session through a local silent auction. If you know of any happening around Rochester I have space for one more silent auction this year and would love to hear about your special cause!

Jenn is a social worker at Strong Hospital and I first met her when I worked with Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep. While the reasons she called me were always sad, she was a joy to work with.

Dave works in customer service for Xerox and we got to share feelings about being passed off to people in India when something breaks.

Corbett’s Glen is one of the Top 5 Outdoor Photography Locations in Rochester, and for very good reason. It has absolutely gorgeous scenery in a small, but walkable area. If you’d like other portrait location ideas, be sure to check out the blog post “How to Choose a Great Photography Location.”

Thank you so much Jenn and Dave for sharing your beautiful family with me!

Kristen and Philip just bought their forever home in Churchville and opted to have their family photography session there.

Philip is a landscaper and it killed him a little to take photos outside in December when everything was dormant, especially since they’d just moved in and he hasn’t had a chance to work his magic yet. I bet the front of their house is going to be amazing in a few more months.

Choosing your own home as a location is a great option, especially for young children who might be more comfortable in their own environment.

But I have a feeling these girls would have been joyful pretty much anywhere.

When people think of family photos they sometimes think stress, but rather than being stressful it’s a great time to play.

The arborvitae hedge was a fantastic backdrop.

We did about half of the session outside and half inside. That’s a perfect setup for winter weather when little people get cold quickly.

Addison was a huge fan of taking photos. Lily was a little bit less sure about the whole process.

Thank you so much Kristen and Philip for sharing your beautiful family with me!

If you ever find yourself with kids between the ages of 5-10, it is the perfect time to snag some family photos.

Not that there’s a bad age to have a session – there definitely isn’t. But at these ages kids are still playful and happy to pose for a few photos in exchange for some sugar.  It’s also a strategic time to capture them as children before they become teenagers and everything turns upside down.

Believe it or not, this session happened on a warm December day. It’s easy to think that December is too late for family photos, but you can even go outside in the winter and get excellent results.

They opted for the Spencerport Canal, which is always an excellent choice.  What you’re mostly looking for in a session location is variety.  Water, bridges, and paths definitely provide that.  Click here to learn more about how to choose a great location for your family photos.

Playful images don’t fit with every family’s personality, but it’s a great time when they
do.

And if you hit the timing just right, you can get some golden light action at sunset.

Thank you so much Kevin and Julie for sharing your family with me. It was an absolute joy to work with you.

You never know when you might land a job as a model when you subscribe to the newsletter.

People often view winter as the off season for location based photography but it doesn’t have to be!

Snow makes for absolutely gorgeous outdoor portraits. But what about being cold? During the winter the scheduling works a little differently. We decide on a day that’s generally good, and then watch the weather closely. On this particular Sunday afternoon it had snowed and then gone up to 40 degrees so the kids didn’t even wear coats between shots.

Of if you’re hard core like Kristine and Ken (and are out of the baby stage) or Amber and Braden, then you’re up for portraits in 17 degree weather. It only takes a few hours to thaw out after a session like that.

We chose the Sunken Garden at Highland Park because it’s an incredibly popular summer location for photography, and we wanted to show that it’s also a great winter location.

Basically winter photography is awesome, even outside.

Meaghan and Matt’s girls loved being photographed and were such a joy to work with. Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful family with me!!!!

Tony and Jenna had their beautiful son Sam last April. Then when he was six months old, he came for a mini session in the park. This time, Jenna’s sister was in town and their whole family got together for some Thanksgiving love.

If you ever find yourself wanting to take pictures on stairs, keep in mind that if you do them straight on, some people look huge and some people are really small. If you turn everyone sideways, you can get a lot of different heights and good spacing by using stairs. It almost always pays off to think outside the box when it comes to angles.

Despite having traveled all the way from DC, Nina’s kids were all about some oinky pig action.

And it’s always worthwhile to sneak in a couples portrait.

Sam was a little under the weather but perked up and gave us some Sam-sized smiles.

People often ask about backdrops and where good places are to take photographs in their homes. In general a neutral colored wall (or even a brightly colored one) is a perfect backdrop. If you love your furniture that’s also a great option. Only a very small space is needed since the camera cuts out most of the surroundings.

Afterwards we stepped outside for some slightly snowy winter portraits.

Thank you so much Jenna and Tony for sharing your beautiful family with me!

Diane and Adam were hardcore photography enthusiasts and braved a relatively cold nearly-winter day for some fall-themed family photos at Black Creek Park.  Black Creek Park is a great location for those of us living on the west side.  It has water, paths and a small bridge that make for a great location.

Themes, even if they’re low key, are a great way to mix up your photo session a little. Whether or not you choose a theme is completely up to you and is all about what makes you happy in life.

Within reason of course.  A hot tub themed session might be weird.  Or massage themed.  But you could definitely go with any kind of food, or most activities.   For more ideas for themed sessions, click here.

In this case, blankets and hot cider were where it was at. Diane brought an actual thermos of warm cider for the session, which had the added effect of keeping her kids super happy.

Diane was a really good sport while I geeked out a little bit about Adam’s civil engineering job in water sanitation. #environmentalgeek Right here.

Diane also has a super interesting job she loves working in the schools.

Thank you so much Diane and Adam for sharing your family with me. It was an absolute joy to work with you!

Jessica was one of the lucky winners of this years Mini Session Give Away. What are mini sessions? They’re an economical way to get a great holiday card photo! They’re 20 minute back to back sessions that are perfect for families who want just a few photos and don’t mind a more limited choice of day, time and location.

Want to enter next year’s give away? Click here to sign up for the newsletter and keep your eyes peeled in early September.

Jessica said this was the first time they’ve ever had family photos done but their daughter acted like she’d been doing this her whole life. She was perfect.

This year’s mini sessions were held at Corbett’s Glen and Genesee Valley Park, which are both in the Top 5 Outdoor Locations list for Rochester. If you’re feeling more adventurous, check out the post How to Choose a Great Location.

The best part about being a photographer is the awesome people you get to meet. Kenny works for Waste Management, which may not seem like an interesting topic but really is. I think Jessica wanted us to stop talking about compost.

Jessica is a social worker who works in a program that supports young moms so they can keep their babies at home with them.  I’m sure it comes with its share of frustrations but what a meaningful thing to do with your life!

Thank you so much Jessica and Kenny for sharing your beautiful family with me!!! It was a joy to get to know you all a little.