We love photographing families. It’s a fun, stress-free opportunity – OK maybe not completely stress-free, but much less so than a wedding – where we can interact w/ children and get a glimpse into the family life we are soon approaching. The Reynolds family welcomed their newest member, Jackson, only a few short weeks ago and wanted to commemorate the occasion with some family photographs at Croton Gorge Park in Westchester County, NY.
Since the sun sets later in the day during the summer, we were able to avoid the intense mid-day heat and scheduled the shoot to start around 6pm. When we arrived at Croton Gorge Park we immediately noticed this amazing tree off in the distance. As many of you may know from previous posts, we are obsessed with trees. There’s something magical and awe-inspiring about them. It was also the perfect spot to photograph because it provided some cover from the sun. Needless to say, we spent most of the shoot around this area!

We handle family photography similar to our wedding and engagement photography – we try to let our subjects interact naturally and capture their moments as they happen. We find that when posing too much, the photographs come off stiff and forced. As you’ll see from the photographs below, this approach worked out great!

We should mention something about Madison and Chase, three and five years old respectively. They are probably two of the cutest kids we’ve ever met. We are firm believers that a child’s personality is a direct result of the parenting they receive, so it’s fitting that these two children turned out the way they did. Joy and Ryan are two amazing parents and their love for their children is readily apparent. Madison is a ham – she LOVES the camera and took every opportunity to shoot us a smile, a laugh, or hand us a flower. Chase, or “my man” as we called him that day, is basically a little 40 year old inside a child’s body. He’s got this sophistication and confidence that’s so endearing. We couldn’t help but continuously think to ourselves, “We hope we have children like these some day.”

As you’ll see from the sample images below, the natural love and affection this family has for one another is amazing. It’s shoots like these that make us excited about parenthood. We hope you enjoy these!

NY Family Photography by Michael Justin Films