Sometimes a request for a photography session really peaks my curiosity. I don't often get to shoot at a client's home. I've shot at my house a few times, but mostly I meet clients at my studio space in REO Town or in a nearby park. Recently I have had a string of senior high school portraits done at AA Creative Corridor and even though each photo is unique and fun, there really is a limited amount of backdrops I can do from that location. Needless to say, I was really excited to head out to a new location. This house was way out in the country, so much so that it wasn't even in any specific city, but rather between two already rural locations. My half hour drive was filled with country roads lined with vibrantly colored autumnal rainbows. Normally this time of year I get an itch to travel “up north” to catch a glimpse of Michigan's beautiful tree changing. This year in mid Michigan the colors have been so spectacular that I lost that itch early on and rejoiced each time I was able to travel outside of my house.

It was the trees and their colors that brought me to this exciting location. My client wanted her trees to be a part of her family's photography session and I am really glad she was willing to make it happen.

We began with the group shot. There was a grove of bright yellow trees that created a lovely canopy above and around us. The entire property was established in the late 1800's and this area created an antique feel to the photographs.

Despite really loving the color tones from the wooded area, I noticed that it was a bit darker in there than I would have liked. So I moved the family out into a field. I had eyed the wide open corn field that I thought would be perfect for the couple's shots. Fortunately what I found when we got out to the open area was this gorgeous set of red trees that played so well with the colors of my client's outfits that I would have thought it was intended.

This location was where I finished out the session by moving the children around to catch different viewpoints. There was a really nice fencing that added a nice effect and I moved them to this location and did one on one shots.

I love shooting this time of year. There is the brilliance in color and lighting that cannot be replicated in a studio. The uncontrollable parts, like a pet pig that wanted to chase me down, kept me on my toes, but that adds into the shoot too. Not only do these sessions create beautiful photos that can be kept by this family forever, but it also creates a great experience for the families and for me too.