A Snowy Spring Family Photoshoot at Troy Farm Park
What a beautiful March day for family photos! The Mani Family reached out to me on instagram, they wanted to capture some photos of their family in Michigan before they moved. As someone who has lived in three different states, I love this idea! What a great way to remember their time here in Michigan.
One of my past clients recommended me to the Mani family for spring family photos. I cannot express my appreciation more when clients of mine recommend me to their friends and family. When you support a small business like this you are literally putting food on your neighbors table and it means the absolute world. Thank you.
When I sent the Mani family my list of location options they weren't sure which one to pick. In this case, I can always choose a location for you! I suggested Troy Farm Park. It's one of my favorite metro Detroit locations for an outdoor spring photoshoot Troy Farm Park is close to I-75 and M-59 so it's easy to travel to from any Detroit suburb. There is a beautiful grassy field there and an old weathered grey/brown barn. This location is so big that we can include the barn, but we don't have to, it's completely up to you.
Picking an outfit can be hard, picking an outfit for your spring family photos is even harder. In the winter and early spring months, you can wear more bold colors since there’s a lack of natural colors for outdoor locations. Some colors that look great in the winter/spring are: burnt orange, any shade of blue, maroon, dark green, dusty pink. Remember to pair the colors you choose with neutrals like cream and beige. For a timeless look, I recommend you wear shades of beige, brown, and cream.
If it's a chilly day, consider wearing a cute scarf or a fun hat to accessorize. In the colder months you should always wear a warm base layer under your cute outfit and add layers with a nice jacket! When it comes to patterns, it's best to stay away from them. Textures however are very nice! Patterns tend to steal your attention away from the subject where texture enhance the photo. A textured sweater, dress or jacket will add nice depth to your photos where patterns can be too busy. Overalls, sweaters, dresses, and jackets (sherpa, shackets, cardigans) are also a great way to add texture to your children's outfit. Layering is a great way to incorporate depth and textures and to also dress up a seemingly normal outfit.
If you'd like the prefect example of colorful outfits for an outdoor spring photoshoot, just take a look at the Mani family photos. The colors, patterns, textures and layers are perfect. They choose to incorporate blue and burnt orange with their neutrals (brown and blue jeans). They did incorporate a pattern, which is hard to do but they nailed it. The pattern that they're choose perfectly matches the rest of the family and most importantly, doesn't distract your eye. They also incorporated textures and layers with the sweater, this is an easy task in the colder months.
In late March the sun sets around 7:30pm so we started at 6:15 for the perfect lighting. The best time to start a photoshoot is an hour or so before the sunset or a half hour after sunrise. In photography, proper lighting is one of the most important aspects of making an ok photo, great. At Becks Photography, I always strive for greatness. This is why I only offer my outdoor sessions around sunrise or sunset. In the summer, this often means that the session times that I offer are your kids bedtime. I understand that can be nerve wracking to you but I have typically found that children do well with sunset sessions. They are excited to stay up and do something different and the majority of my family session aren't "posed photos" where your child has to sit still and smile, but more so playing games and enjoying family time while I capture true emotions. If the timing is inconvenient for you, consider booking an in-home family photoshoot or booking an outdoor session during a different time of year. For example, in the summer the sun sets around 9pm but in the fall the sun sets around 6/7pm and in the winter, it sets as early at 5pm.
The Mani family brought a family member to help get their sons attention while taking photos and it was SO helpful. I come with lots of games and prompt ideas to get your little ones smiling but bringing a friend or family member is always a great idea to help your children get comfortable! Posed photos are much easier if you bring along a friend or family member to stand behind me and dance/be goofy so your child(ren) will look at the camera with a big, natural grin. If you don't have anyone available to come with you, don't sweat it, I pride myself in being able to capture a few posed photos of your family without help. Candid photos are less posing and more directing. For example, I may ask you all to cuddle up together and share your favorite things about each person in your family. Meanwhile, I step back and capture great moments of your family spending time together. Be prepared, a lot of prompts that I give families include running, tickling, throwing, and chasing, it's a workout but these photos always create the best photos and the best memories. It's important to make these candid photos fun for your children.
I am so glad the Mani family booked a photoshoot with me, it was so nice to meet them and capture these photos that they will be able to cherish forever. I cannot stress enough the importance of family photos! Their son turned 1 years old just a few days after our session together and his parents used that time to capture some adorable photos of their ever growing family, what a great idea!
Let's talk about session types. I have 2 different options for your outdoor spring photoshoot. Both options are great for your family, it all just depends on how many images you'd like and if you'd like to change outfits or not. To learn more about my pricing, check out my pricing guide. Troy Farm Park is a great location for any session length, it's large enough to be able to talk photos with multiple different backgrounds if you have a longer photoshoot.
