As a Simsbury CT family photographer, I was so excited to try a new location with this family. I first met them back in 2020 during the pandemic. We had a session at Topsmead State Forest with this little guy, who was an infant at the time. Fast forward to 2021, and their session was one of my favorites at a great Simsbury location. You can see the whole session here.
Simsbury CT Family Photographer: Planning The Session
This family always books a year in advance and checks in with me about the best time of year to do their session. They are always up for checking out a new location and the mom loves to use my Client Closet. We also work closely to plan her family’s wardrobe together.
In 2022, we decided to do the family session at the bridge. As a Simsbury CT family photographer, I have shot at this location several times. It is ideal for families in the evening. I always recommend going there during the week, as the weekends can be busy. It’s also important to note that the bridge is only decorated with flowers at certain times of the year. As a Simsbury CT family photographer, these are things that I keep close tabs on. When you book your session, I will be sure to make you aware of all of these details. You don’t have to worry about a thing!
Simsbury CT Family Photographer: Session Prep
This family is so flexible. Our first evening that we had booked an appointment for was gray and rainy. We knew that wasn’t the vibe we wanted for the session, so we rescheduled for another evening during the week. I can’t stress enough how great it is to do a session during the week as a Simsbury CT family photographer. During the week, locations are much less crowded and kiddos are on their normal week-day routines. It truly makes for a great experience, especially with young kids!
When the family arrived at bridge for their family session, I gave the mom her dress. She had selected this dress from the Client Closet at her dress consultation. We had then worked together to plan outfits for her husband and two year old son. Her husband prefers to wear blue and shorts, so we worked around those parameters.
Simsbury CT Family Photographer: Family Session at the Bridge
Once everyone was dressed, it was time to get the money shot! As a Simsbury CT family photographer, I am no stranger to sessions with young children. With a two-year old kiddo, the session can be as long or as short as they allow it to be. While I take the toddler’s lead, I also have plenty of tricks up my sleeve to make sure that the family gets all of the images that they are hoping for.
With a toddler, there are a lot of breaks that happen in this session. I encourage this, especially after we catch some cooperative moments to reinforce the toddler’s success. Parents can sometimes feel discouraged that their toddler is not on their best behavior. I can guarantee you, it’s not a problem at all. Once I’ve shown the parent the back of the camera a few times, they begin to see that it’s not about catching long stretches, it’s about catching small moments. I’ve got your back, mama!
We did a lot of running at this session. I’m pretty sure I got all my steps in this day! This little guy loved to run back and forth along the bridge, so we used that to our advantage to grab some great candids. It truly is a snapshot in time. I know when these parents look back on these images, they will laugh, knowing that is exactly who he was in this season.
Simsbury CT Family Photographer: Benefits of this Location
Another benefit to this location is that there is a secondary location that we can use, if needed. For this particular family session at the bridge, we felt moving locations wasn’t necessary. There was a lot of time between shots and we didn’t want to risk getting back in the car. If the toddler thought they were done, we didn’t want him to feel tricked. Because of this, we stayed at the bridge.
It was perfect at the end of the night when the sunset started glowing through the trees. I made sure that the mom and the dad had a few moments on their own to grab a few shots together. And as a Simsbury CT family photographer, I can’t wait to see this family again in 2023!
