Family
Outdoor family session
I launched my new website with a giveaway to end the strange summer of 2020 on a light note. Along with the giveaway came a special offer—you can now book a one-hour outdoor family session. We’ll call it a COVID-19 special since a short story session normally lasts two hours to give everyone the chance to relax and forget about the camera. These shorter than usual sessions are perfect for families who want to test the documentary photography genre. Outdoor sessions are also low-risk in the current circumstances. There’s no need to wear a mask and we can easily stay two meters away from each other. Plus, for outdoorsy people, they are another excuse to spend some quality time with family and enjoy fun activities outside.
Ready for a busy hour
Émilie was the winner of my giveaway and she had a good idea of what she wanted her family to do during their session. We talked about it during the pre-consultation to make sure it would all be possible. She told me her better half’s reaction when she broke the news to him was “Not another photo session…” That made me smile because I was confident he would like this kind of session better!
She also mentioned she would like to have some photos with their dog Zoey. For some reason, because they live on an acreage near Beaumont, I was expecting a big dog… I was quite surprised when I was greeted by the children and their miniature pinscher!
Quads, treehouse, garden tour and a forest
The session started with a fun quad ride. Everyone jumped on their own vehicle and off we went! It was Henrik’s first time on the little road that leads to the meadow where we were headed. I was amazed to see such a tiny quad driven by a small 4-year-old boy—it basically looked like a toy! When his mom asked him if he liked the bumps in the field, he said his favourite thing was “making donuts” (going around in a circle)! There were also a few races and a lot of pleasure!
We went back to their house to play in the beautiful treehouse built by Jean-Marc. This is when I discovered that Zoey was probably part dog, part cat! She jumped off the bridge and landed on her feet. Later on, she ran down the slide like a real champion!
We ended the session with a little tour of the vegetable garden and a short walk in the forest, where the parents eventually want to build a quad trail. Raphaëlle and her mom discovered a few fairy houses on the trees. The young girl told me one of the fairies was named Morgan. I also learned that fairies have a life expectancy of a million years—wow!
The family’s appreciation of their outdoor family session
This was a new kind of session for everyone in the family. Raphaëlle was posing at the beginning of the session because that’s what she was used to. At the end, she said “This was a fun session. We didn’t have to follow instructions like ‘put your hand here, do this’…”
I was curious to know what Jean-Marc had thought of the session since he was the reluctant one. Émilie told me he was really satisfied and said it would be awesome if all photo sessions were like this. He liked the fact that he didn’t have to pose and that he could really be himself.
Émilie was super happy with her photos and made my day when she told me she would frame some of them and send me a photo of the final result.
Brave the cold and get out with your family!
Even though the weather has cooled down, one-hour outdoor family sessions will be available as long a possible during the pandemic.
I'm Marie-Pierre, an easygoing mother of two and a documentary family photographer. I believe we can all learn and grow from other people's experiences. Real life stories help us relate to each other, open our minds and feel better about ourselves.
this blog is a collection of featured client stories, tips, and articles on various family related topics. I hope you will find some inspiration!
