Golden Hour Family Session

One of my favorite parts of being a photographer is getting to meet new people. In the beginning, many of my clients were friends of friends or people in my community. As my business has grown, so has my clientele! Now, I often photograph people I’ve never met. The Ballard family is one of those families who has been with me since the beginning of my business and quickly turned into close friends!

I have known the Ballard’s since their daughter Daisy was in her mama’s belly. When I was told that their household was growing by one more, I was ecstatic! Initially, I was booked to shoot baby Ballard’s birth. Due to COVID19 and the many restrictions that the hospitals currently have, that was of course not possible. Luckily, the family had a healthy baby boy (I was convinced it was a girl!) and named him Gray. This photoshoot was the first time I was able to meet him in person! 

 
Baby boy swaddled against his mothers chest
Family of five enjoying golden hour at the beach
 

When I’m planning a session with my clients, it’s always a collaboration on where to shoot. Originally, we had intended to photograph a “golden hour” family session at Ferry Beach. Because it was such a beautiful summer night, the beach was packed. We ended up at this location down the road from Mom’s parent’s house. It was perfect! We had the beach all to ourselves. Plus, it’s where dad keeps his boat, which made for the perfect meaningful background for a few photos. 

 
Mother smiles at her daughter, who grins at the camera
Young boy wades into the watch at golden hour
 

We could barely keep the two big kids out of the water from the start of the session, so after a few photos, we let them strip down and cool off. Watching them splash and play near the ocean in Scarborough was the perfect end to our shoot. It’s pretty wild to think that thanks to this warm and welcoming relationship I’ve built with my clients, I’ll be able to watch their littles grow through my lens for years to come.