Tom had luck on his side when he found himself the winner of a raffle for a free photoshoot with me. I donated the photoshoot to the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Peel  Golf for Kids Sake Tournament. After discussing what he wanted out of the session, he upgraded his photo collection resulting in these refreshingly genuine Brampton family photos.

When most people approach me looking for family portrait sessions, they typically include younger children. As the chapters of our lives go by it’s important to remember to document our children, even once they hit adulthood. Tom’s two daughters were such sweet, well mannered young ladies. However, I had to rethink my strategy for getting them comfortable. What works for a 4 year old is a very different approach and I wanted to get the most out of their session.

These Brampton family photos showcased the under-utilized parts of this free location

Tom chose Chinguacousy Park due to the variety of terrains and backdrops it offered in one location. It is a popular spot for photos, but I like to steer clear of the cheesy obvious backdrops, and head to my more secluded areas. Less onlookers means my clients will be more natural in front of the camera. It’s also less likely to have crowds in the background.

I put the two sisters together and the giggles started! It was a great indication to me that they would absolutely warm up. Where I differ from other photographers approach, is that they primarily focus on scenery. My main focus is the emotional content with scenery taking a backseat. I aim to create in the moment real life portraits that convey personality and the dynamics of the photoshoot. With their family portraits, we used various setups from lying on their tummies on the grass for a more relaxed vibe, to sitting on the boardwalk. The textures of the wood paneling, glistening water and vivid greenery popped without taking away from their emotions.

These Brampton family photos played on levels to add variety to the compositions

We kept things fresh by constantly moving to different areas. The session was short and sweet in comparison to working with younger children and maintaining their attentions. Still, everyone was thrilled with the outcome of their Brampton family photos.

Instead of simply getting the photos of his daughters, Tom made sure that everyone was in the images of this family photo shoot. In decades to come, the girls will be able to look back on the photos fondly and treasure them forever.