One of the best parts of living in a small town is being able to personally know and support other business owners. Steve owns and manages my favorite local coffee shop, Town Square Coffeehouse + Kitchen, and the staff always creates such a warm and welcoming environment for folks to enjoy coffee, community, and conversations. So, back when I was starting to branch out in my style and approach to photography, Steve and Emily took a chance on me and scheduled a family lifestyle session.

After talking through their family’s interests, we decided to meet up at Windmill Park in downtown Orange City, Iowa, for a chance to let those kiddos run off some energy. The kids had so much fun running around and showing off for me. Kids have no filter, and I love them for that. Cheesy grins. Free-spirited personalities. Having too much fun to remember that this was actually for family photos. We covered a lot of ground at the park. We climbed the stairs and slid down slides, took turns on the swings–we even crawled around on all fours. Family photos are meant to be a little messy, a little chaotic, a little imperfect. There was lots of laughter, a few tears, and a little defiance. But, at the end of it all, everyone came in for a big squeezy group hug. The perfect way to wrap up a session.

When I delivered the photos to Steve and Emily, they told me how much fun it was to not be stressed out during photos. How it was great to just spend time together and play while still getting awesome photos.

That’s honestly why I do this. You deserve a stress-free space to play and delight in each other. To make memories. To have fun. Lifestyle and documentary-style photo sessions allow you that freedom. Consider this a permission slip to make your family photos memorable.

So, what now? Grab your shoes–and the kids. Let’s have an afternoon adventure at the park downtown. Book your own family lifestyle session today.