A Family Portrait on Lake Quinsigamond
Family sessions come out the best when they take place at a location familiar with the family. What better place to have a family session than your own backyard? If you happen live on the shores of the beautiful Lake Quinsigamond in Shrewsbury then that’s just a giant cherry on top! Check out some photos from the Meyer family’s family session at Lake Quinsigamond.
About ninety percent of my family sessions take place at local parks and about ninety percent of THOSE take place at Moore State Park in Paxton. This is fine with me. I have built my family sessions around the idea that they are simply a walk in the park with the occasional photo break. This allows me to capture some great group portraits in natural, comfortable environments while also being able to photograph genuine interactions. The key is comfort.
Occasionally I will have a client who want their session to happen in their backyard. I am always game for this because even if most backyards are smaller than a park, they are the place where people are generally very comfortable. Smiles come easier and some of the anxiety that is common when being photographed dissipates.
If your backyard is Lake Quinsigamond, well, score!
The Meyers live in a condo community on the shores of Lake Quinsig and their backyard - even in the sense of the greater community’s backyard, was beautiful. I enjoyed working with the Meyers and in between talking about drones with David (the dad) we managed to get some fun photos as the sun started to set.
Check out some of my favorites:
If you are looking for a family session in your backyard, a park, or a luxury yacht that you want to invite me on, check out my family session page by clicking here!
Front Porch Sessions: Photos for a Cause
For the past few months, a lot of the family sessions that I have photographed in Central MA have been charity driven. Through these front porch sessions, I was able to donate directly to the community of Worcester to support those hit hardest by the pandemic. I am currently shooting these same home-based mini sessions to support Color of Change, a charity dedicated to raising awareness and holding those with influence responsible for racial injustice. Your session fee is donated directly and you will come away with some fun photos. Check it out!
A lot of things have come out of the Pandemic. A lot of them have been sub-par to say the least but that isn’t a universal truth because there have been some silver linings in this hurricane cluster of black clouds. A lot of families have spent more quality time together than they have been able to before. People have found alternative ways to stay happy, stay fulfilled, and in some cases lend a hand to the cause.
Front porch sessions, the Front Steps Projects, and others have become a popular way for photographers to try to give back to the community. While some have done these mini-sessions for fun or as a way for photographers to try to stay afloat, many have done these for charitable causes. I jumped at the chance to take offer these sessions because I was feeling particularly useless while I watched people in my community rise up to the cause. I charged $50 per 15ish minute session and donated all of that to the Worcester Together Fund- a charity run by the United Way of Central MA to help those hit hardest by the pandemic. Altogether I was able to donate just under $400.
I am currently raising money to support Color of Change- a charity dedicated to holding people and corporations accountable for racial injustice. If you would like to book a front porch session the cost is $50. The session lasts about 15 minutes and includes three digital image files with more available for purchase.
Here are some of my faves from the past few months!
A Lifestyle Family Session in Shrewsbury
I love shooting lifestyle family sessions. These sessions allow a family to be photographed in the environment that makes them feel the most comfortable- their home. Lifestyle sessions bring out natural smiles and real laughs over heavy posing and that awkward “I’m being photographed” feeling shrinks. Check out this lifestyle family session that I shot in Shrewsbury, MA.
A couple months ago I photographed a family lifestyle session in Shrewsbury, MA. It was one of those sessions that just flowed naturally because we were in an environment that encouraged that.
One of the things that I enjoy about photographing lifestyle sessions in my clients homes is that there is a higher level of involvement. Communication is really important in any type of photo session (and really in any job- not just photography) but lifestyle sessions work best when there is some idea about what your client wants to get out of their experience. This goes double for when I get to photograph at their house. I have a good sense of what light works best but ultimately the family knows their own house like the back of their hand. And, anyway, great light is important but photographing in rooms that have meaning is more important.
“We really spend a lot of time in the livingroom.”
“Sorry, this laundry room has this great window…”
Jeff was really involved. He had a really good sense of the type of photos that he wanted because he knew what he didn’t want. He and his wife did not want posed photos. We came away with these really fun slice-of-life photos that I think really captured who they are as a family. Now, it didn’t hurt that their mid-century modern house was studio-level gorgeous but this could have also happened in a small apartment. Lifestyle sessions are all about capturing genuine interactions and love, and that happens more readily in a place that’s comfortable- especially when there is a child involved. Ok, enough reading.
Check out some of my favorites from this lifestyle family session in Shrewsbury, MA!
Tom’s Blog:
Pictures are worth a thousand words but check out what goes on behind the scenes during my sessions.