It's that time of year for family photos! As summer starts to wind down and kiddos go back to school there is more than a shift in the air, there is a shift in perspective that seems to take over. For some a "fall cleaning" (much like spring cleaning) begins, clutter from summer donated, or put away, and thoughts of how to round out the year begin. One of those thoughts tends to be holiday photos. I remember when I was a kid I used to pick out holiday cards with my mom. She'd let me look through a basket of cards we had collected from one place or another, and I'd decide who got what image. As I got older, and our basket dwindled, we'd pick out holiday scenes and messages of hope. I'm unsure when we switched to photos of ourselves, probably when the rest of the world did too, but I do know that when we did we decided we were going to make those photos fun.
Which is why I always love a family up for some adventure. On one of the last days before summer break was over I got the opportunity to join this fantastically fun family in the back corners of Denver for some graffiti photos. While the outfits were cute, and the background colorful, one thing clearly shone through the images for me, just how close this family is, and how in love they all are with each other.
It can be daunting to take family photos. You never know how kids are going to react, sometimes not every family member feels photogenic, but families like this, who are excited to go out and just play, always make my job easy. My suggestion for family photos if you are starting to think about them as the weather changes is to really think about what makes your family happy, and where everyone will have the most fun. I promise you, these will make the images you remember in the end.
To all those close-knit families out there, to all the shy people, to all the I wish it was still summer groups, this photoshoot of spray paint and smiles is for you!
