I, admittedly, didn’t know a thing about the tiny town of Gulf Stream until I received an email from this mother.
It’s only 15 minutes from where I live, positioned off of A1A (which is a beautiful drive), and my first time photographing anyone there. When I pulled into the neighborhood I saw a little town hall and the sweetest school that was for preschool up to junior high. This family is able to walk their two children to school every day. It was like something out of a movie.
Even sweeter than all of that was the love this family has for one another.
This family bid on a session with me at one of the local charities I give to. When she told me that her boys had never been professionally photographed I got incredibly excited because I knew that I was about to give them an experience, and photographs, that they would grow to love more and more over the years. A lot of planning goes into donated sessions, just as they do my normal sessions. I prep the family for the fact that they will most likely want many more photos than are provided in what they bid on. They will also want them as wall art, albums, etc. So much of my process is having realistic conversations with my clients so that we can put together a plan that works for them and their wants and needs. The best part was they currently don’t have family photographs on their walls and I knew that we could make incredible art together.
During our planning session, leading up to our actual session, I got to know more and more about the boys. Mom told me that we should end the session outside, where the boys love to play in the dirt. She asked if they should get in the pool and I exclaimed, “YES!”. We talked about how dad loves to cook for the family and spend time in the kitchen, so we started the session making fresh squeezed orange juice. The photograph of the youngest licking his lips, while they make another glass, has to be one of my favorite moments from the day.
There were a few moments where mom and dad went into their room to get changed and I got some time alone with the boys. This is where they got up on the dining room table to eat their snacks and I got some really sweet photographs of them. I love the fact that the snack bags are in the photos and it’s something I would never want to edit out. My daughter LOVES her snacks and it’s something I want to always remember about this age.
We spent time in their rooms while they showed me their favorite toys. Mom said that some of those toys hadn’t seen the light of day in about a year. There is something deeper in the meaning of these sessions. Having someone pay attention to you as a family, take the time to document it slowly, show you how important you are as a family, but also individuals, and allowing you to explore the past and present. These kids had someone asking about what brought them joy and wanting to photograph that. They had the chance to feel seen by someone other than their parents. They had the opportunity to feel seen WITH their parents. So often we are the ones doing all of the work and when you have someone else see how special your family is, there is so much honor in that.
Here are some mockups I did for this family.
Gulf Stream Family Photographer