Into the Garden Content Day | Part Two
Starting right where we left off: Wanting the shoot to be challenging in a “stepping out of my comfort zone” kind of way, I scheduled the session to take place in the mid morning hours with higher directional light. Generally speaking, family photographers like to stay in the golden hour zones— early morning or right before sunset— and I thought this would be a unique opportunity with low-stakes to try something a bit different.
I personally love shooting during the mid morning hours, and this is something I have come to realize over the last few years. There’s just something so crisp and beautiful about 9AM-11AM light, and I was excited to share it with others.
The session effortlessly flowed through the different concepts by making our way through the garden surrounding the cute AirBNB. Next up, the horses, an absolute dream come true!
The idea of designing an extended family session was to support multiple concepts that wove together a storyline. We moved from eating peaches and picking flowers on the covered porch to “morning chores” (moving and playing with linens, checking and feeding the horses) to collecting and snacking on blackberries, having a moment for mom + dad and then ending as the morning sun went overhead on the tire swing. A simple, barefoot and peaceful June morning.
These little girls were absolute troopers! It was a hot and humid, sticky morning and they hung in there the entire duration of the session! It does help that a lot of their time was spent snacking on fresh, delicious peaches and blackberries (along with some off camera lemonade breaks!).
Designing and executing a content day for family photographers is equal parts coming up with a versatile + inspiring vision for a group of photographers as well as facilitating a positive + easy experience for the family. It is very much a balancing act— there isn’t one without the other— and it is important to pour into and plan for both of those moving parts equally. Like with my normal family sessions, I think the trick is to have a loose, over-arcing game plan/vision for the session while also leaving plenty of room for spontaneity and flexibility. Working with kids, there needs to be some pivot room.
After the session part of the content day wrapped up and the sweet models changed, packed up and headed out, we all sat around and indulged in assorted pastries from The Moon Bakeshop (the cutest and tastiest bakery in Downtown Huntsville) and cold brews, chatting about our businesses and where we want our photography to take us. It was a solid morning spent creating and connecting with local Huntsville photographers, and I can’t wait to do it again!
From the heart,
Hannah
Your Family Photographer
The absolute best news? Another content day + shoot along is in the works! Hannah from Alabama is hosting Small Town Summer Content Day this coming June 2025! Are you a lifestyle family photographer wanting to stretch creatively, ignite your creative soul on fire with nostalgia heavy family concepts, add to your portfolio and marketing content and find community in the local family photographer industry? All the details + the remaining tickets can be found HERE. Can’t wait to see you there!
Hannah from Alabama is a lifestyle family photographer whose work focuses on connection-driven and heartfelt imagery. Her home base is now in Northern Alabama, but she travels all over the USA for weddings, sessions and content days with a special emphasis on San Luis Obispo County, California. Be sure to connect and check on her travel calendar via email.