family of 3

family of 3 | 1- hour family photography in lauderdale by the sea

I last saw this couple about a month before their baby girl was born, which was also about the time the world shut down. Because of COVID-19 and restrictions, we weren’t able to do the at-home newborn session we had planned so we changed course and captured a one-year session instead. Almost exactly a year since our sunrise maternity session, we all returned to the same El Prado Park beach in Lauderdale by the Sea (this time for a sunset session) & celebrated the now family of 3.

family of 3 | 1-hour lauderdale by the sea family photographer

family of 3 | fort lauderdale beach photographer

I made the mistake of telling this family that sunrise photo sessions here in Fort Lauderdale beach rarely ever get rained out. After having to reschedule 3 times, we still got rained on. Oops. I’m grateful they were so easy going about everything - including the one-hour workout we had running through sand to keep their little one smiling as much as possible after recently getting over being sick. If you think photo sessions are a lot of sitting around… think again.

family of 3 | esplanade park fort lauderdale family photographer

baby connor & family | hillsboro beach club family photographer

real life with kathryn | davie documentary family photographer

Hanging out with Kathryn on a typical Saturday morning for this mini Day in the Life at their home was seriously so much fun. Her mother's intention for this documentary family session was to capture her 2.5 year old daughter's maximum curiosity at this age... to cherish the joy in their family's every day moments... and I think we succeeded.

One minute we we're having races in the front yard, the next we we're playing hide & seek and being served fake ice cream in exchange for fake money... (specifically, $2... everything was $2). Kathryn was only a little into helping her mom make muffins, until the chocolate chips came out & her excitement increased, proudly topping off each cup. She sure stayed busy all morning with one activity after another, but she was also perfectly content cuddled up next to her dad on the couch watching some college football. We also broke some documentary-family-session rules (I've always been a rule breaker) and squeezed in just a couple of directed photos of the three of them.

When little ones are involved, you don't need to have any specific activities planned for your documentary family session. If you let everything unfold naturally, it will not only make for a no-stress experience, but also result in much more honest & natural photos. A true glimpse into your current daily life (or in this case, morning).

 

welcome baby alexandra | fort lauderdale newborn family photographer

Is there a non-creepy way to say that hanging out at people's houses for photo sessions is my favorite? Asking for a friend.... I mean, having a camera pointing your way will never be 100% comfortable for most people... but it's a lot more comfortable when you're just hanging out in your own house than when you're standing on a public beach boardwalk in heels. For newborns, at-home sessions are a no brainer. They require a lot of breaks & a lot of conveniences of home, but the best part is being able to incorporate the nursery in the photos & capture what life feels like home with a new addition. Speaking of nurseries... can we talk about this one?! So cute. I loved all the animal details & the theme of adventure, which also carried through in the master bedroom (where we took advantage of a bed big enough for the whole family). You can tell these new parents are world travelers! At a little more than a month old, baby Alexandra was alert through all of her portraits & flashing me all kinds of smiles & funny expressions. I think this is one of my favorite ages to shoot new additions. Yes, they're at their maximum itty-bittiness at the normally-recommended age of 7-10 days old but then you rarely capture them with their eyes open, let alone alert like this. I loved how the entire family joined in on the photo-taking fun, including both of the first children (the dog and the cat). Alexandra was a dream to photograph & I have way too many favorites from this session... 

one hour with family of 3 on vacation | fort lauderdale beach family photos

Can we just take a second to acknowledge that I seriously have the most beautiful clients? Like, for real. I also happen to live in a very beautiful place. And when you're visiting a beautiful place like South Florida with your family, it becomes a perfect time to capture some updated photos & document your memories here. That is exactly what this family of 3 decided to do while in town from New York & it couldn't have been a more perfect morning. I arrived to Fort Lauderdale Beach just before sunrise to meet them near their hotel & was surprised to see several people already there at such an early hour. (Now that I think about it... if Florida does stay on daylight savings time year round, this will be my very last super-early morning sunrise photo session.)  It was the first day of a "cold front" & was definitely chilly before the sun made its full appearance, but the light was gorgeous & seeing the sun rise always makes the early wake up call worth it. At just 7 months old, the youngest obviously stole the whole show - those little smiles have been killing me while working on the gallery. Here are just a few of my favorites from the session...