One of the greatest honors a photographer can have is a fellow photographer asking them to shoot their portraits. It is a huge compliment and can bring on some extra nerves. I always want to go above and beyond for my clients, but there’s a little added pressure in my mind to bring my A++ game with a fellow photographer’s family.
Lauren and I met a few years ago in a photographer’s group for women in Birmingham. We all needed some social time to talk about the ins and outs of being a small business owner, plus a place to simply be with others like minded. It was a big blessing for me, as I tend to work completely alone, no coffee shop working or brick and mortar. Lauren and I both had recently given birth when we first met, so that connection was easily made. She is one of the most genuine and caring people you’ll meet. And, well, spoiler alert…her family is exactly the same way!
Our session was during golden hour and I basically followed them around, documenting their interactions and lightly directing their next moves. It was a perfect amount of posed/unposed. There’s a delicate balance of too much posing, and too little posing. We need both for a successful session I believe. With a family that has such young children, it can work out quite well if you let them lead the way during the session. Want to lay down on a blanket and give giant hugs to your baby sis? Let’s do it! Want to go for a quick sprint down the trail? Here we go! At the end the session, I knew that it was going to be a favorite for 2021. I’ve shared a few favorite images from our evening below so you can see what I mean. What joy it was to photograph this sweet family.
*on a seperate note, Lauren is the very talented worship minister at Redeemer Community Church in Birmingham, AL. Show them some love and if you’d like more info on RCC or Lauren’s work, their website is linked right above.
