Fun, playful family photos at Golden Gardens
Hey friend,
Can we talk about how much fun Golden Gardens minis are? Like, genuinely, these are some of my favorite sessions to shoot all year, and it's because they don't feel like "sit still and smile" photos at all. They feel like an evening at the beach with your favorite people that just happens to have a camera along for the ride.
Here's why I love these sessions so much - and why I think you will too.
We're not doing stiff, posed photos. I'm not lining everyone up and counting to three. We're running on the sand, splashing in the shallow water, piling on top of driftwood logs, chasing each other around. The best photos happen when everyone forgets the camera's even there, and Golden Gardens gives us the perfect playground to make that happen.
Kids get to actually be kids. No sitting still, no forced smiles, no "look at the camera one more time." At Golden Gardens, kids get to run, dig in the sand, throw rocks in the water, climb on driftwood - and I just follow along and capture it. Some of my favorite images from these sessions are the ones where a kid is mid-laugh, completely lost in their own little world, totally unaware I even took the photo.
That golden hour light makes everything feel a little magic. As the sun starts dropping toward the water, everything gets soft and warm and glowy. It's the kind of light that makes even a silly game of tag look like a scene from a movie. Add in some wind-blown hair, some laughing, some piggyback rides, and you've got yourself some seriously magical photos.
There's room to be a little goofy. Piggyback rides, tickle fights, spinning in circles, throwing kids up in the air - Golden Gardens has the space for all of it. The beach, the driftwood, the open grass - there's plenty of room to be as playful and silly as your family actually is, instead of feeling boxed into one small, staged-looking spot.
It captures your family as you actually are. I always tell my families - I'm not trying to get you to look like a different, more polished version of yourselves. I want the real thing. The giggles, the "wait, do that again," the pretend seriousness, the actual chaos of getting everyone in one frame. Golden Gardens just makes it so easy to let that real, playful energy come through.
And yes, we'll still get those classic shots too. Don't worry, we're not skipping the beautiful, everyone-looking-at-the-camera photos you'll want to print and frame. We'll get those too. But my favorite part of these sessions is everything that happens in between - the moments you didn't plan for, that end up being the ones you love most.
If your family is more "let's have fun and see what happens" than "let's stand here and smile," a Golden Gardens mini session might just be perfect for you. October 4 is the date, and booking opens July 17 - I'd love to spend an evening on the beach with your crew.
love your photographer,
Anna