Looking for a beautiful location in Winnipeg with blooms from July to October? The English Garden is that go-to spot. It’s a gem inside the city and a very popular location for family photos. Although it can get crowded on warm summer evenings, it’s still a great location if you’re looking for colour with rich foliage & flowers. I had a blast taking photos of Mayo and Bea’s blended family: so many personalities and tons of fun! I enjoyed this shoot so much!
Looking to update your family photos? Contact me for availability and fun location ideas:
We’re coming up quick to the busiest time of the year for family photos: September! Fall is by far the most popular season for family photography sessions. People love the cooler air, nicer sunlight earlier in the evening, fewer mosquitoes and pretty colours in the trees.
But for a lot of moms (and dads too) the task of planning a photo shoot can be super daunting.
Over the last 15 years of taking family photos for my clients, I’ve found the following planning tips to be really helpful:
1) Determine what type of vibe you want to capture.
Do you want casual, candid portraits?
Do you want formal, posed photos?
Do you want a nature or architectural background?
Do you want photojournalistic, storytelling photos or a more formal and directed shoot?
Do you just need four or five photos to print a Christmas card?
Do you need a well-rounded collection of images to fill frames, print holiday cards and add to your annual family photo album?
Do you need 100+ photos so that you can keep and cherish every little moment from the photo shoot?
Once you know how many photos you need, you can pick a mini session or a full session. If you’re not sure, a mini session or half-session is a good option because you can always order extra photos if you change your mind after you review the gallery of proofs.
This might be THE most stressful part! My best advice is to start early and not leave this to the last minute. Start by picking out an outfit for the hardest person in the group. If there are prints or patterns in this first outfit, make sure the next outfits you add have mostly solid colours in the same colour scheme or tone. At all costs, avoid logos, distracting graphics or really bright colours.
You also want to make sure your outfits fit the location. If you’re wearing really formal wear in a casual park setting where there’s lots of adventuring through the woods or sitting on the ground in tall grass, that dress shirt and tie or cocktail dress might look out of place. In the same way, if you’re wearing really casual athletic wear in a location that has funky architecture or an artistic flare, this might not make sense.
And finally – don’t wear a new article of clothing for the first time at a photo shoot. You may be surprised at how uncomfortable or ill-fitting an outfit feels. If you feel uncomfortable, it’s hard to hide that in your face! I recommend wearing your outfit at least once before so that you are sure that you like how you look and how it makes you feel.
4) Prioritize golden hour, but not at the expense of your kids’ moods.
Yes, you want good light for your outdoor photos (and that’s usually the 2nd hour after sunrise or the 2nd hour before sunset), but if that’s close to bed time for your kids, it’s not worth it! Although brighter parts of the day may not be ideal for photos, I can help find locations that have shade from the sun if you want to make sure the session ends before bedtime. It’s better to have smiles and happy toddlers than gorgeous lighting with cranky kids. Also, parents look and feel their best in photos when their kids are happy. 😉 (I can attest to that personally from my own photo shoots!)
I’ve been a big fan of Terry’s flower farm just south of Winnipeg for years now, and when I had the opportunity to go back there to take photos of her own family, I immediately said yes! Not only is their property stunning in late Summer, but her family is just as beautiful and full of colour. I had so much fun capturing all these photos, running around with the kiddos and taking photos as they explored the gardens full of vegetables and flowers. What a delight this was!
A drive out to the rural outskirts of the city, an early morning sun filtered by thin clouds and a beautiful family is what made this photo session absolutely perfect! Their daughter is almost a year old, and capturing this special milestone is something that I love so much. She toddled around with her cute little feet, she babbled some very interesting but incoherent stories, and had the biggest, beaming smile for so many photos. She even took a few bites of fresh dill and showed off her cool shades. Spending time with a 1 year old is so refreshing! It was an absolute delight to document this moment in time and here’s a handful of the photos we captured.
Last night I met up with the super fun, super delightful Borys family for their annual family photos! This year, unlike last year, we had a WARM evening and it made things so much more comfortable for everyone! The trick: scheduling the session before it gets too cold and too late in the fall season! These guys have big hearts, big love and a ton of fun together and it’s always a huge pleasure spending time with them. To be able to capture these memories for them is so special. And those grandkids!! Such cuties! And if you’re wondering if the English Garden at Assiniboine Park is still beautiful this late in the season — IT IS! So many beautiful flowers still remain to be enjoyed.
