Family Engagement at a Farm in the City

A few weekends ago we had our first outdoor engagement session of the new year. While we do have a studio location and do inside shots all the time, we just love being outdoors for engagement sessions. They just always seem so much more alive and fun when we can go place to place and not be limited by the confines of a small studio. Besides, we are in the process of re-doing our studio space, so it has been under construction anyway.

Nicki and Mike were a referral from one of our favorite weddings from last year, and when we booked them Nicki had said that she wanted to get their session done as soon as things warmed up. The weather had been warming up into the 60’s that week (finally!), but when their day came…rain and clouds. But, by the time we were meeting up in the afternoon, the rain was gone. The clouds were still pretty thick, but clouds are definitely manageable (and in some ways, easier). We met at the studio to drive to the location. They wanted something farm-like, so we used the same location that we used for Sam and Kenny’s engagement session in the fall (who were another referral from the same wedding last year…strange coincidence). The location is Willoughby Farm, which has quickly become one of our favorite locations to not only photograph, but also to walk around. It’s a great, relaxing place right in the city.

It had been raining quite a bit in the previous weeks, and as I was scouting a few areas before we started shooting, I discovered a very soft and deep bit of mud. The method of discovery? I put my foot in it, which quickly transformed into put my “leg” into it. Yeah, it was very deep. My shoe and part of my leg was covered in mud. Lovely. Obviously, we did not do any photos in that spot 😉

Mike and Nicki had brought the kids along, because they wanted to get some photos with them as well. Bryce and Braden were not quite thrilled with getting their photo taken right away, so after a few minutes of that, we decided to let them have some fun while we worked with Mike and Nicki. Since the two boys were only 3 and 1, they needed a bit of supervision, so Shannon sprang into baby-sitting/playing mode with the kids, while I concentrated on Nicki and Mike. Shannon shot plenty of photos of them while they were playing, and I had a great time working with the adults.  So, it kind of turned into a family/engagement session. Definitely a first for us!

One really fun thing about the day was that it was my first time using my latest lens purchase…a Sigma 85mm 1.4 lens. But…I will write more about that later.

Here are some of the photos from that day. Hope you like them! If you do, please comment and let us know. If you don’t, just make something up. Thanks for stopping by!

Joel