Happy Friday, y’all! Today is extra special for me because my parents are driving up from Texas to visit for the weekend. I was hoping the fall colors would be out by now, but summer here in Northwest Arkansas has been lingering this year, and I honestly can’t say that I hate the warm days and cool nights. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely cannot wait for cooler weather and sweaters and hot drinks and bonfires, but I’ll also gladly soak up the warm weather as long as I can.
The cool nights and mornings have encouraged me to get back into my daily hikes these last two weeks (during the summer I do daily walks in the park, but when it cools down I prefer to go hiking instead) on some hiking trails near my house, and it has been really lovely. There’s just something so peaceful about spending time in nature first thing in the morning – I feel like it really sets my day up for success. And as an added benefit, it’s a form of exercise that I actually enjoy.
Speaking of hiking, today’s blog post is all about an adventurous family photo session I shot last October in one of my favorite places in Northwest Arkansas – Devil’s Den State Park! I’ll be sharing some behind the scenes of planning this session as well as about the session itself. As with all family photo galleries I deliver, this one has a mix of more posed photos that are perfect for Christmas cards, action shots that the boys will love to look back on, and photos of just mom and dad together.
Planning the Session
When Tracy reached out to me to schedule this session, I immediately had a vision of photographing her and all her boys at Devil’s Den. You see, I had photographed them the year before and I knew just how energetic and fun they all are. Plus, Tracy wanted fall colors for their photos, and Devil’s Den is one of the best places around to see them. And I have to say, I love how their gallery turned out!
One of my favorite things is being able to do the thing I love (photography) in places I love. I keep my mega list of locations handy when I’m talking to you about your upcoming session, and it helps me to quickly be able to factor in details and narrow down the choices until we decide on the perfect location for you. Whether you’re searching for a lake, creek, river, waterfall, scenic overlook, forest, hiking, paved, urban, field, or wildflower location for your session, Northwest Arkansas has it all – we don’t call it “The Natural State” for nothing!
In Tracy’s case, I was able to choose the date and location that was best for her family based on a few things: 1) the weather we had been having and the fall color predictions for that season, and 2) the fact that her boys are really into mountain biking. With her kids being on the older side, I knew it would be important to incorporate something they are interested in – mountain biking – into the session.
Adventurous Family Session
I’m a firm believer in the fact that an “adventure” photo session can be accessible to people of all abilities. While the majority of the photos from this session are from our time hiking Devil’s Den Trail, which is rated as “moderate” difficulty, we also took photos at the end of the evening on the dam, and there is no hiking required to reach that location. Devil’s Den also has a few scenic overlooks (not featured in this blog post) that are accessible by car and do not require hiking.
*Sidebar: if you are searching for a location with stunning scenery that has wheelchair accessible photo locations, I also have several recommendations for you! Click here to submit an inquiry!
The Devil’s Den Trail has so many scenic spots along it that it was hard to pick just a few for these photos. I think my two absolute favorite spots are the places where I 1) took pictures of CJ and the boys sitting on a log together, and 2) took pictures of Tracy and CJ on the bridge by the waterfall. Honestly, around every turn of this trail there is picturesque scenery, and that’s why I love it for photo sessions.
We ended the evening on the dam, and the blue hour lighting was so moody and beautiful. And then of course as we walked back to the cars I had to snag Tracy and CJ for a few more photos using my flash, and they absolutely killed the dancing prompts I gave them! It was the perfect way to end their session.
Final Thoughts …
I hope this beautiful fall family photo session has inspired you to book your own photo session with me! I love photographing families and I have so many fun ideas that I’d love to implement in your session! And P.S. if you’ve loved seeing these photos of Tracy, CJ, and family, stay tuned because we’ve been scheming about their upcoming session and the photos are going to be epic!
*All my blog posts contain a selection of images that I’ve taken. If you are interested in booking a wedding or session with me, I am more than happy to send you a full gallery upon request!
I’m a wife, a dog mom, a foodie, a wanderer, a registered nurse, and a couples/intimate wedding/elopement photographer … and this blog will cover it all! If you enjoyed this post, first of all thank you, and second of all please follow me on Instagram + Facebook and sign up for my monthly newsletter to get exclusive wedding planning advice and access to all of my new (and old) freebies! If you have any questions about elopement photography, my journey from nursing to photography, or my time spent as a full-time RVer, drop a comment and I just might write a blog post answering your question (but I definitely will)!
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