A Petaluma Family Portrait Session

I first met Amy a number of months in the past when she employed me to {photograph} her headshots. She’d simply written a memoir, and we used her Petaluma household house because the backdrop which felt so proper for the form of story she was telling. Her home wasn’t only a location, it was a personality.

So, when she reached out once more to say her household was shifting and he or she wished to doc their time right here of their Petaluma house earlier than they left it behind, I didn’t hesitate for a second.

This is strictly the form of session I stay for.

Not Every Family Milestone Has a Name

We have a tendency to consider pictures as one thing reserved for the Big Ticket moments like birthdays, weddings, graduations, new infants. And sure, completely, doc all of these. But a few of the most significant periods I shoot are those that don’t match neatly right into a class.

Sometimes a household photograph session is a love letter to an outdated house as you shut the chapter on it. Sometimes it’s a welcome social gathering for a brand new one. Sometimes it’s only a Tuesday that , someway, you’re going to wish to keep in mind.

Amy knew she wished her youngsters to have one thing to carry onto.

Three Kids, Three Favorites

One of my favourite issues about this session was that every of the three youngsters got here in with their very own thought of what mattered most to them about that home. Each one had a spot, a nook, a factor they wished to be photographed with. I’m not going to let you know what these had been, that’s their story to maintain however, I’ll say that watching three completely different youngsters present me what their Sonoma County house means to them was one of many extra quietly lovely issues I’ve gotten to be a part of this 12 months.

Sonoma County Family Portraits: Gently Posed, Genuinely Real

In a household portrait session, we’re working with much less time than an extended, documentary session, and that’s truly form of a present. There’s no room for overthinking. We transfer quick, we keep unfastened, and I’m all the time working to coax out the true reactions somewhat than manufacture them.

These household portrait periods lean just a little extra towards gently guided than absolutely candid. I’m providing you with one thing to do, a route to look, a purpose to work together however, I’m by no means after the stiff, smile-at-the-camera stuff. I would like the chortle that occurred proper after the pose. The child who broke character in one of the best ways. The look between a mum or dad and a toddler that you just didn’t even know was taking place.

That’s the stuff that makes you cry whenever you take a look at these ten years from now.

One Last Goodbye on the Front Porch

We ended the session the way in which you finish a chapter, on the entrance porch, the entire household collectively, together with their cat. (Yes, the cat. Obviously the cat needed to be there.)

There’s one thing a few entrance porch that simply holds issues. Every time somebody got here house. Every time somebody left. Every peculiar Tuesday that turned out to not be peculiar in any respect.

I’m so glad Amy trusted me to be there for this one.

If you’re a Sonoma County household fascinated by reserving a portrait session, I would like you to know that you just don’t want a purpose with a reputation connected to it. Moving? Staying? Kids at an age you’re determined to freeze in time? A Sonoma County house that’s meant every little thing to you? That’s greater than sufficient!

Book me for your loved ones portrait session →

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Loren Hansen is a Petaluma-based photographer specializing in documentary-style portraits, household periods, and weddings throughout Sonoma County and past.