Can you share with our readers a little about your family? Where are you from originally? How did you and your partner meet and end up living in Boston, MA?
Alyson is from Southeastern Connecticut and Mike is from the bay area in California. We met while Mike was stationed in Groton, Connecticut at the Subbase. Currently, Mike is still active duty, but we’re located in Boston, Massachusetts for a total of 2 years while he completes some additional training. The Navy has lent him to the civilian world so that he still shaves every morning, but doesn’t have to wear the uniform.
How did you break the news to your partner that you were planning a family photo session?
I was thrilled to let Mike know that our friend Tara had won a photoshoot for herself and a friend through a Guardians of the Purple Heart fundraiser and we were going to be the friends. I was honored to be part of helping a cause as well as super psyched to be working with Dacia again. She had jumped on board with our crazy idea of a campfire and s’mores for our pregnancy announcement and did an amazing job. Now that little babe was on the outside, we were ready for some family photos.
What was your experience like preparing for your session? Was it stressful? Were you able to coordinate outfits and find a location without a headache?
There are lots of great locations in Southeastern Connecticut to do photos. We’d already done photos at many of the usual places- Harkness Memorial State Park, the beach, Devil’s Hopyard in East Haddam….so we wanted something that was meaningful to us and new. Avery Point was 3 miles down the street from where we lived in Groton and a place we would go and walk our dog. Alyson did a lot of sailing in the Long Island Sound and actually took a calculus class at Avery Point. It was also the place that Mike met Alyson’s family for the first time. Dacia has a great blog post about how to coordinate outfits. Still struggling with a body that doesn’t quite look, feel, or fit like it did before having a baby, so I was thankful for Dacia’s advice to figure out Mom’s outfit first. I went shopping for something I liked and was able to compliment Dad and Baby’s outfits off that.
Which part of your family session did you enjoy the most? And the least?
We had a lot of fun at our photoshoot. Lots of laughing and a sweet little baby that seemed to already revel the joys of staying up past her bedtime.
I’m a little worried, what do we do if we have another kid that isn’t as cute as our first? New Mom worries for another day.
What are some of the most important aspects of your family that you hoped to capture in photographs?
Joy, laughter and love are some characteristics of our family that we take pride in. I hoped to authentically show that off and feel like we really did.
What tips or advice would you give other families as they search for a photographer and embark on booking a family session? Would you do anything differently next time?
I would recommend that whole families take the time to do photos and capture that snapshot in time. I thought it was so over the top and cliche when people told me, “don’t blink, they grow up so fast” but now that I’ve lived it, it’s really true and I catch myself saying the same thing. I’m a Mom that takes an embarrassing number of photos of my kiddo on my phone. I also seem to capture some great ones of my husband and the baby. He’s not quite as good at reciprocating, so I have lots of selfies with the two of us. Getting photos done professionally gives me the opportunity to be in the photos at a level higher and more intentionally than a selfie.
To see the tips Alyson mentioned in this post, visit this blog here. To inquire about booking your own fun, candid family photo session, get in touch here.
