Winchester Mother’s Day Family Session | Photography by Kristen Swain

Sometimes when I reflect on how a family photo session went, or the conversations I had with a client leading up to their session, I realize that there are some super interesting tidbits and helpful information for future clients nestled within that story. This was certainly the case with my previous post, featuring a Nantucket family session where we lucked out by staying flexible and rolling with what Mother Nature delivered, shifting our meeting time and location as needed to accommodate Her whims.

This spring family session, with Amanda & co. (one of my last sessions of the spring before I relocated to the island) was somewhat similar, in that as the session date approached, our plan started to shift due to weather concerns. Originally, we had planned to meet at the Public Garden at the beginning of May to get some shots with the tulips. But about a week out, it seemed like this was going to be a real challenge to bring to life. To start with, the weather wasn’t looking great for our original date. Amanda travels a lot for work, so weekdays weren’t an option for her and her family, meaning we’d be shifting back by at least a week if we moved the date of her session. And of course, the tulips don’t stick around forever. To make matters worse, the construction in the park this year was interfering pretty significantly with the options for capturing photos among the tulips. I had a session booked for the following Saturday, so in our rescheduling discussions, we were left looking at Sunday for the new session, which happened to be Mother’s Day. I was thrilled when I found out Amanda was up for a Mother’s Day session (so special!), but it was going to have to be a morning rather than an evening session because they already had plans for the late afternoon that day. All good, except for one major issue: Mother’s Day also happens to be Duckling Day at the Public Garden. It’s a super cute (and very Boston) event for families, celebrating … DUCKLINGS! Kids (and parents!) dress up, there are lots of fun family activities, it’s super cute, etc etc. (check it out online if you’re interested for next year!). But the day of an organized event like this is definitely NOT the time for family photos at the Public Garden. So we kept chatting.

As we responded to the various obstacles we faced, we ended up considering meeting closer to Amanda’s home in Winchester. She mentioned that the Mahoney’s Garden Center nearby had beautiful tulips outside, and that stopping by this incredible garden shop was one of her family’s favorite weekend activities. Being much more interested in candid, documentary-style photos anyway, Amanda suggested we go there and document the four of them (mom, dad, and two boys) doing their usual thing, and maybe even spend a few minutes capturing the everyday chaos of the kids getting ready to go out beforehand. I LOVED THIS IDEA! Think getting ready photos on your wedding day but extra casual and featuring your littles. As you’ll see, that’s exactly what we did. We started with a few shots at home with mom getting the boys ready for their trip to Mahoney’s, and ended our session at the Garden Center exploring the flowers and snacking on some Mother’s Day goodies along the way. What a dream! I’m in love with how this session turned out and hope you love it too!

The takeaways:

1. Try to be flexible and open to modifying your plans, and even your vision, for your family photos. When you’re willing to adjust to changing circumstances, you might just find that you end up with an even better plan than what you originally pictured.
2. Consider a documentary-style photo shoot at home simply capturing your everyday moments with your kids. These photos will be so meaningful and full of great memories for you and your children as they grow. I’m already envisioning these photos of Amanda dressing (and cuddling! and tickling!) her kids being shared in a slideshow at the boys’ weddings one day.
3. With a KSP Membership — which includes multiple sessions in a one-year period — you can have both: a set of photos where everyone is a little dressed up, perhaps at a stunning location at golden hour, and another that documents the beautiful chaos of real life. Plus an elegant album to pull them together and save your year of photos in a tangible keepsake that will be passed on lovingly through the generations.

Winchester Mother’s Day Family Session | Photography by Kristen Swain

Winchester Mother’s Day Family Session | Photography by Kristen Swain

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