I recently did a family portrait shoot for my one of my oldest clients and friend, Lena, in Pleasanton, CA. They reached out to me a few months earlier because it was their daughter's birthday and since the pandemic prevented any social gatherings like parties, family portraits seemed like a perfect option.
Especially with the holidays coming up, gathering together and celebrating family with timeless portraits is something that can bring so much joy to everyone and can even be used for holiday cards.
Since I haven't done a lot of family shoots in the past, it did my usual intense preparation with shotlists, location scouting, composition techniques, etc. We originally chose Livermore's Sycamore Grove Park as our location, but when I went to scout it I saw how dry and hot the area was, even in October! So Lena and I quickly intervened and settled on a park just next to their home. It wasn't perfect because there were still a good amount of people there even at 10:30AM. But I found a great spot in the corner with some tree cover that had minimal people in the background.
Seeing a family come together for a shoot has got to be one of the most heartwarming things I can do. It's moments like these that make me so grateful to be a photographer who can capture memories for others. That's exactly how I approached this shoot and everyone I do. These are snapshots in time that the family can carry forever and look back on with love.
They can say, "this was us in 2020 when the world was falling apart" or tell their kids and grandkids for future generations, "this was me when I was your age".
More than just photographs, I love trying to create timeless pieces of art that families can hang in their house and feel a sense of love and warmth.
If you're interested in getting some family portraits for the holidays, shoot me an email to get set up!