Ashley first got ahold of me unsure if we’d be able to get a fall family session at Allerton Park. Midwest falls can turn on us pretty quickly- as we all know! Luckily, she had a really clear vision for how she wanted her family session to look. We managed to pull everything together in a matter of days for their fall family portraits at Allerton Park in Monticello, Il. Fortunately, fall was kind to us this year and we had amazing temperatures for our session and Ashley had pretty much every clothing item on hand- most from Brass Horn and Brass Horn Too here in Decatur, Il.
After our design meeting I had driven the whole park looking for a specific location that had Edison bulbs. I was there specifically to scout my lighting, but came up empty. I found an area that would work for family pictures but no gorgeous Edison bulbs. After getting an inspiration picture from her I realized I knew the exact location. Bonus that the light totally cooperates with golden hour pictures!
Except. The reason I couldn’t find them when I had looked for them was because they weren’t turned on. Her husband solved the problem and got the lights working for us just before we lost all of our light for the evening. I did a little photoshop magic to add in lit bulbs in a perfect family picture before we turned them on, but there’s a special magic to the images of the family when the actual lights were on. Keith fixing our light dilemma might be one of my favorite moments from a family session.
Find your joy.
I hope you know by now my goal in this life and my job is to bring you joy. Her little one turned three last month, so our session in November was his first experience playing in the leaves. It was so much fun witnessing him find the joy of a crunchy pile of leaves and the mess you get to make when you scatter them in the air surrounding you. Family sessions often tell the story of a chapter rather than a memory or event. I like to think we captured a specific memory for both Ford and his parents that evening. It may be a small one, but they can always enjoy and share that moment now in photos.
At their reveal, Ashley LOVED the custom sizes I offer. I source my products through specific vendors so I have my choice of gorgeous mats and timeless frames. Check out waaaay at the bottom for the room view (last picture) I was able to show her before deciding on her portraits. The previous three pictures are cell phone grabs of the products after I installed them. Ultimately, they now own a plethora of gorgeous matted prints and two portraits in their dining area that they will love for a great while!
Fall Family Session in Allerton Park
