fbpx

THE JOURNAL

Session highlights, client tips, and photographer resources. 
By Ellen Wagner Photo, an Auburn, Alabama, motherhood and family photographer. 

Vacation Mode – 30A Family Photographer

30A Family Photographer

30a Family Photographer

Capturing Your Family At All Stages

As a motherhood and family photographer, many of my sessions end up being for babies or younger children. Even though this is the case, I really do enjoy working with families at all life stages. Each of these phases of your family is worth documenting and remembering.

This specific session was so sweet. Amanda and her husband have a blended family with 4 energetic boys. Their ages range from nine to sixteen. They were all so lively and their unique personalities shined through as we went about the session.

Amanda and I connected through Instagram; she was on the hunt for a family photographer that incorporated film photography into their workflow and I had recently shared an image I had taken for a wedding in Seaside.

It’s always an honor when another photographer trusts you to photograph their family. I know that I am very particular with what I want my family’s photos to look like, and oftentimes don’t feel comfortable around the camera. If I reach out to somebody, their work has really resonated with me. So picking a photographer as a photographer myself is always a super important decision to me, and makes me feel that much more honored when a photographer picks me to shoot for them.

30a Family Photographer

Session Planning and Creative Direction

Both Amanda and I are not based down on 30A, but it is special to them because they always vacation there, and I have spent lots of time since my teen years visiting 30A. Since I’ve spent a lot of time down in the Florida Panhandle, I have a good working knowledge of the area. We chat about the feelings and memories they are hoping for in their gallery, then I piece together a few locations to help their vision come to life.

The beach is always a classic place for family photos, and while I love the beach, I also like to find an off-the-beach option for photos as well. As a 30A family photographer, I know the beach can be unpredictable because of the weather. Having a backup option is great because, in the event of a storm, we still have enough images to create a full gallery. Most of the families I photograph down on 30A are visiting, so there’s a short window of time we can make the session happen. Sometimes flexibility is necessary!

Eden Gardens State Park

One of my favorite places to take my 30A family photography clients is Eden Gardens State Park. This little park is not too far from 30a where most of my clients stay. Along with beautiful big hanging oak trees, the park has a large white mansion and sprawling greenspace on the grounds that makes for a beautiful backdrop for family portraits. The sun sets over one part of the house – the light y’all…

Since this park is a little more hidden, there aren’t a ton of people there making it the perfect spot for families to run around and spread out during a session. The boys got to throw the football back and forth and enjoy the grassy areas of the park.

30a Family Photographer

After we finished at Eden Gardens State Park we headed down to the beach to get more family portraits. It was so windy at this time making me so glad that we chose a secondary location. I love getting to photograph your lovely families in gorgeous places. Amanda and her family were an absolute delight to work with.

If your family is heading to 30A soon for a vacation, I would love to help capture those moments in time through a family session. I would love to work with you as your 30A family photographer; contact me today, and we can start planning your dream vacation session!

comments +

Tell me your thoughts!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.