The weather couldn’t have been better for this session at Harlinsdale Farms—comfortable temperatures, great light, and just enough breeze. Apparently everyone else in Franklin thought so too, because the place was absolutely packed with families making the most of the beautiful evening.
I’ve photographed this family before, so it was fun to see how much the boys have grown since our last session. Working with repeat clients is always easier because you already know their personalities and how they interact with each other.
The main challenge we ran into is actually pretty common with elementary-aged kids. The younger son is at that awkward in-between height where he’s too big to easily pick up and hold, but still quite a bit shorter than his parents and big brother. Getting everyone’s faces close together for family portraits takes some creative positioning.
I ended up using several different approaches to work around the height differences. We started with shots sitting against the barn, which brought everyone closer to the same level naturally. Then I had the parents kneel and squat to get down closer to the boys’ height. Big brother had to do his share of crouching too since he’s gotten pretty tall. We also did some shots where he hugged his little brother from behind, which worked well for the height issue and looked natural.
The younger son was a good sport about being lifted for a few shots when we needed everyone’s faces together. At the end, we found a bench that let the whole family sit comfortably, which solved the problem completely.
I’m glad we got this session in before Harlinsdale closes next week to prepare for Pilgrimage Festival. The timing worked out perfectly, and I’m really happy with how the photos turned out.
