By, Sun and Sparrow
I am so excited to share the story of this beautiful photo session. There is something amazing about the Pacific Northwest. It’s everywhere I look and I am falling in love with it more and more every day. This family photo session is special because it actually features two families. I don’t often get to do a best friend family shoot so it felt refreshing and magical to be a part of this.
Table of Contents
Tigard Family Photo Shoot Gallery:
A Magical Family Shoot With Two Families
The story started, like any modern fairy tale, once upon a day as I was running errands. As I was having my hair cut by my sister-in-law, Julie, I was talking about how much I love photographing families in the Pacific Northwest and how I’m spending a lot of time near the Portland area. Julie kept my words in the back of her mind and when she heard that her friend, Remy, was planning a trip to Tigard she brought me up. Before we knew it I was planning this magical fairytale family session with Remy!
Remy and Kristen have been friends for over a decade. They met when they were both working at the same photography studio. Their background in photography made our photo session extra fun because I could feel the session bringing them back to the good old days when their friendship began. It was clear that they were really close and I was blessed to get to spend time with them and their families!
The Session Features Remy and Kristen, along with their Families.
Planning A Portland Family Photo Shoot
One of the first parts of the planning process is figuring out a location for your photoshoot. There are so many gorgeous locations around The Portland area that sometimes it’s hard for people to narrow their options down. That’s why it’s important to hire someone who knows how to work with you to pick the best location for your family photo shoot. I believe that the planning process is as important as the actual photo shoot and this Family session was no different
I started by showing them one of the Lacamas Lake collections that I shot earlier this year, and Remy was on board to have a session there. Lacamas Lake is a magical place with soft light, a lake, and trees everywhere so it’s a popular choice. We still wanted to make sure we were doing the best we could to make this photo session perfect and Remy and Kristen were going to be staying closer to Tigard, so my husband and I decided to have a family outing.
We took a quick trip out to the newly constructed Hidden Creek Park East in Hillsboro, Oregon so that my Five year old could play, and then we went to Tigard, where we walked around Dirksen Nature Park. Let me tell you, The park is AMAZING for photoshoots.
Dirksen Nature Park
Dense Forest-Wildflower Fields-The Fallen Tree and Open Field-Wetlands Overlook
I have so much to say about this magical park full of beautiful locations, whimsey, and opportunities. Everyone should get to visit the park and I can’t wait to have many more whimsical photo sessions there! Here are a few of my favorite areas in Dirksen Nature Park that we used for this photo session.
A Dense Forest
A dense forest is a must-have when it comes to fairy tale photography. There is just something magical about tall trees creating a wide environment that makes it look like the family is getting lost in a magical forest. The ivy-covered ground also added a lot of whimsey and mystery to the space. I wanted to bring some adventure to the session so I had Remy and Kristen’s families walk along the trails. There is something about making a photoshoot its own fun adventure that really makes the pictures turn out better. You can see the adventure in their eyes!
Wildflower Fields
There is a magical wildflower field at Dirksen Nature Park and I used it to create a sense of flutter. Flowers are just naturally whimsical and they make every photo session breathe. For this magical Tigard Family Photo shoot I sat Remy and her boyfriend in the flowers and it immediately felt like they were in a cloudscape. I get lost in the photos because the flowers lift everyone into a dreamlike space.
After I put Remy and her Boyfriend in the flowers I had Kristen and her daughter spend some time there. The little girl spent some time admiring the petals on the flowers and smelling them and eventually Kristen joined her in enjoying the flowers. In this moment, Kristen and her daughter experienced the joy of being present together, which is one of my favorite things to watch at my sessions, and a core value I try to cultivate. The moment felt delicate, embodying life, love, and growth.
The Fallen Tree and The Open Field
I was lucky enough on my scouting trip to come across a large fallen tree. It was the perfect addition to this magical Tigard Family photo shoot. The thing about a tree is that it is great to have something elevated to work with. The tree lifts people up higher and gives them a different perspective while changing the mood. At our session, the tree seemed to add a sense of empowerment and curiosity, opening the families up. I can see the life in people as they sit higher up.
The open field allows for photos with more movement and play. The distant trees along the horizon create a fun line and are such a different feeling than being in a dense forest. The open field has an entirely different kind of frame that draws your eye down toward the subject instead of up toward the subject. It also creates triangles that draw your eye back into the frame.
The Open field was perfect for a cute moment where I had the two friends stand together. They said that it reminded them of being at Kristen’s wedding, where they stood together and took pictures. What a special moment.
The Wetlands Overlook
There is a wetland overlook that adds a structure to the fencing. I love having a place for kids to sit and be at the same level as their parents. Having the children’s faces near their parents makes room for cute kisses and huge smiles!
Tigard Family Photographer
Sun and Sparrow is excited to announce that we photograph families in the Pacific Northwest, which means we want to do a Tigard Family Photo Session with you! Be on the Lookout for mini-sessions and other opportunities too as we LOVE this area. Everyone talks about how amazing the trees in the Pacific Northwest are, and I agree. Sun and Sparrow have always had a signature style of Using nature in our photographs, and the Pacific Northwest provides the perfect backdrop for our signature whimsical and magical photographs.
Sun and Sparrow: Your Family Photographer
I have always been passionate about family photography. I love how each family is unique and everybody speaks love to each other differently. Some people are very emotive and expressive while others are more reserved and objective oriented. I find it fascinating how each way of loving others is valid and valuable. Most of the families that come to me seem deeply connected and I hope that families choose me because they see connection in my pictures and they want to be a part of that.
Mini Sessions
Get ready for Mini Sessions. Right now Sun and Sparrow has mini-sessions in several locations in Palos Verdes, and you can expect some mini-sessions to show up in the Portland area very soon. That means that Sun and Sparrow can be your Tigard Mini Session Photographer too. We want to help you get those fairytale family photos that you have always dreamed of.
