"We are a Marine Corps family that came from California.  I was wanting to get family portraits done in time for Christmas cards and just to have family photos, since we have a one year old in the family that isn’t in any [of our past] family photos.  I was thinking sometime in October?  I think the leaves on the trees would be changing by then.  I would like the pictures to be outside in a ‘nature’ area."

When I spoke to Mrs. S. on the phone, she said:

"I worry coming to a new place because lots of people have a camera and then are suddenly family photographers.  So I like to read online reviews, and I liked your family portraits…  The last family photos we had done were when our middle son was 2, and now he’s 6.  I feel bad not having family photos of our youngest.  And last Christmas, we were the only ones who didn’t send out Christmas cards; we’re not going to make that same mistake again!"

At their pre-session planning/design meeting, I got to meet Mr. S. and their three kids.  I showed them slideshows from some of our previous outdoor family portrait sessions so they could see different location possibilities.  In the end, we agreed on Manassas National Battlefield Park in Northern Virginia, where Mrs. S. liked the wooded areas and rustic, old brick bridge, perfect for fall foliage family portraits!  Later, they sent me a room photo of their fireplace mantle space, so that after the session, I’d be able to show them what their favorite family portrait looked like hanging above the mantle as either a large frameless canvas gallery wrap or framed wall portrait.  At their “photo reveal”/ordering appointment, I was surprised to hear that they had been worried whether the photos had come out well, when, I must say, this was one of our very best family portrait sessions of the entire year!  The three kids were a dream to work with… must be that Marine Corps discipline! Enjoy!

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