Fall Family Photo Session at the Salt River in Mesa, Arizona
I started my Instagram caption with this when sharing these photos, and I think it is worth repeating... when I tell you I smiled the entire time while editing the Robinson's gallery... I am not kidding. I mean, Ford's smile?! He has the sweetest disposition ever - which he totally gets from his kind, gentle, and sweet parents. This was such a fun session to shoot, edit, and I was so excited to deliver these photos to the Robinson fam!
We met at my go-to and favorite location, The Salt River, out on the east side of the Phoenix valley. The Salt River is a recreational area, a river running through beautiful desert laced with rolling hills, cacti, and wild animals. This is a super fun location for hikers, runners, bikers, and you can even kayak and float down the river itself. During the summer and early fall months, the river flows richly through the desert landscape allowing people to enjoy a cool escape from the crazy heat of the hot AZ summer... and fall.. who are we kidding. This area is part of Tonto National Forest and is known for the wild horses roaming about who venture close to the tubers and kayakers while attempting to cool off and hydrate themselves.
Beyond the recreational activities, I love the Salt River as a destination for my photography clients. The diversity of the landscape... desert, water, fall leaves, and spring blooms, you can pretty much count of everything here! Certain areas of the Salt River are best at certain times of the year, and I always make sure to provide my clients that information when deciding on a location. Not only does it provide a beautiful backdrop, but it's an A+ from me in regards to lighting and spacing, which are two very important aspects I consider in order to achieve my signature light and airy style.
The Robinson's fit so perfectly into this beautiful scenery with their neutral styles. I love, love how the whites and light colors look against the water and within the fall leaves. We shared many-a-laughs and Ford, with little effort, kept ALL of us smiling the entire time we were shooting. When it comes to photographing young families like the Robinson's, I always advise the parents that we just roll with what the kiddos give us... allowing the session to feel natural and welcoming to mom, dad, and baby. I find that this allows the littles to give us their most genuine smiles, because if mom and dad are comfortable, they are as well! We don't sweat the small stuff, need to take a quick break? No biggie, then we hop back in when we're ready and everyone is feeling refreshed. Sometimes it's the imperfect moments that end up being the sweetest on camera.
Alright, enough of me swooning over this sweet family and the luscious fall leaves -- enjoy a little peak into this beautiful gallery!
