There is something I really love about photographing families outside.
Kids have room to move. Nobody has to worry about keeping the living room clean. And instead of spending the whole session telling everyone exactly where to put their hands, we can walk, explore, play a little and make the photographs along the way.
Mountainside happens to be one of my favorite towns for exactly that.
You have some of the prettiest natural areas in Union County basically in your backyard, which means family pictures can feel like an afternoon together instead of a trip to a photo studio.
Family pictures that actually feel like your family
Yes, I want the photograph where everyone is looking at the camera.
I want Grandma to frame it. I want you to use it for the holiday card. I want one where everybody looks good and nobody important is missing because they were behind the camera.
But I don't want to spend your entire session making versions of that same photograph.
Your gallery will include different groupings, individual portraits, pictures of the kids together and plenty of the little in-between moments that happen when everyone stops thinking quite so much about being photographed.
Those are usually some of my favorites.
Mountainside was basically made for outdoor family pictures
Okay, maybe that wasn't the official reason they built the town. 😂
But if you love a natural background, we have options.
Watchung Reservation is enormous, with more than 2,000 acres of woods, trails and natural areas. There is also Trailside Nature & Science Center within the reservation and different areas that can give us very different looks without leaving Mountainside. Borough of Mountainside
Then there is Echo Lake Park, with its lakes, walking areas and more open scenery. The borough lists it as a 139-acre park with two lakes. Borough of Mountainside
But I don't choose a location just because it comes up when you Google "pretty places for family pictures."
Light matters. The season matters. Your kids' ages matter. How much walking your family wants to do matters.
Tell me what you like and I'll help you choose.
You do not need perfectly behaved kids
Actually, please don't spend the entire drive over telling your kids they need to behave for the photographer.
They don't need to perform for me.
If your four-year-old needs to run for a few minutes, let them run. If your teenager thinks family pictures are deeply embarrassing, I've met teenagers before. 😂 If someone needs a break, we take one.
I would much rather work with your family as they actually are than spend an hour trying to turn everybody into professional models.
And family pictures aren't just for families with little kids
This is something I really believe.
We photograph everything when kids are babies. First birthdays. First steps. First days of school.
Then somehow the pictures of everyone together become less frequent as the kids get older.
But teenagers change too.
Then there is college. Jobs. Partners. Someone moves away. Everyone suddenly has a different schedule and getting the entire family together becomes an event in itself.
You don't need to wait for somebody's wedding to have a beautiful photograph of all of you again.
Your finished photographs
You will receive at least 50 professionally edited, full-resolution digital photographs with personal printing rights. Galleries are generally delivered in about one week.
Professional prints are available through your online gallery, but ordering them is completely optional. There is no required sales appointment afterward.
Print them. Make an album. Put them all over your house. Send them to Grandma. Keep 47 of them on your phone even though the entire reason we did this was to get your pictures off your phone.
They're yours.
Let's make the picture with everyone in it
Fill out my contact form and tell me about your family.
Tell me who's coming, how old the kids are, and what kind of setting you love. If you have absolutely no idea where you want to take them, that's okay too.
I'll help you figure it out.
