Happy Friday y’all! And happy Valentine’s Day! V-day is not usually that big of a deal for me, but this year I decided to step up my game and I planned out and gave my husband a cutie little treat or surprise every day this week. And then tomorrow we are having a fun date day to fully celebrate. We will be visiting a few new-to-me local businesses, and I can’t wait to give a full breakdown of my thoughts for you in a few weeks!
Today’s blog post is about a really fun family session that I shot last Fall. You may recognize this family from the last two years that I have shot their family photos (“Adventurous Devil’s Den State Park Family Photos” and “The Ultimate Guide to Mini Photo Sessions”), and honestly every time I get them in front of my lens is such a fun time! J, C, and J (the boys) are so hilarious and polite, and T and CJ (the parents) are so sweet and easy to get along with that it always just turns out being the best time.
Before the Session
When T reached out to me to schedule their session this year, I already knew where I wanted to take them. Coler Mountain Bike Preserve in Bentonville, Arkansas is a system of trails, both paved and unpaved, that surrounds a branch of McKisic creek. There are art installations, bridges, and a coffee shop that can only be reached by walking or biking. I have loved this park ever since the first time I visited, and it is one of my favorite places to take friends or family who are visiting from out of town because it is such a unique experience.
Of course, I always give my clients two or three options to choose from, but Coler was my top recommendation for this family and I am so glad they chose it because I absolutely love how the photos turned out!
One of the things that I know has the potential to be stressful as a parent to teenage boys is finding outfits that everyone agrees on and is comfortable in. My top advice for this issue is to remember that this season of life is worth remembering, just as it is, and when you look back on these photos in 10 years you honestly won’t care about the outfits, but you will care about your kids. And if they are happy and healthy, that is the only thing that really matters.
*My other top advice for family sessions with older kids is to start planning outfits early so that you have time to make adjustments until everyone agrees.
During the Session
My favorite thing about Coler is, hands down, the creek. There are so many different places along Applegate Trail (the paved trail that we walked on) that offer the creek as a backdrop, and I definitely took full advantage of that. Family sessions are, by nature, a little more posed than couples sessions, but I still like to get the natural, candid photos as much as possible as well.
We started out from the South gateway, stopping every now and then for photos until we reached Airship Coffee at Coler. It is an outdoor coffee shop with covered seating and additional seating on the roof. I knew from the first time I saw it that I wanted to take photos there. It is so cute and I am so obsessed with these photos of T and CJ that I took there.
The round trip distance from the parking lot to the coffee shop and back is about two miles, which is perfect for a session with a young, active family like this. The boys are very into mountain biking, and they frequent this park often with the mountain biking teams that they are a part of. It was so fun to catch up with T and hear all about their interests and hobbies during our session.
After the Session
As always, the real work begins after the session ends. I was so pleased with how these photos turned out that it was really a pleasure to edit them! I was very excited that I had finally gotten the shot that I had envisioned from the first time I visited the Coler trails (see the photo below on the left).
But the photo that turned out to be my favorite photo was a simple pose, one that I use during most of my sessions (see the photo below on the right). It is nothing fancy or flashy or spectacular in terms of photography. But the simplicity of the photograph highlights the connection between the two. Looking at this photo, I can see the years of marriage it took to get to this point. I can see the bond and connection these two have with each other. I can see the softness that has come with the good times, and the strength that has been built by the not-so-good times. And to me, that is what makes a photograph truly beautiful.
Final Thoughts
If I were to sum up this family session in one word, it would be “playful”. I just love that I got to photograph the silliness of the boys interacting with each other and with their parents. I can just tell that their home is full of laughter and love, and that really comes through in their photos.
If you are searching for a family photographer in Northwest Arkansas and want to have a playful session with natural poses where goofing off is encouraged, send me an inquiry and we’ll get your session scheduled!
*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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