Laura and George contacted me with the idea of capturing some family photos to use as Christmas cards. Their son, an energetic and adventurous kid, wasn’t exactly thrilled about the idea of taking pictures, but he loved to play, so we did a lot of playing, and so he acquiesced.
The location we chose for the shoot was the historic city streets of downtown Annapolis. We began our session on the St Johns College campus, mainly because the street parking is easy in that area, but also because it has nice lighting most times of day and it’s a great spot for some warm up photos. Our first photos were taken next to the historic bell monument, and then we started working our way toward the water.
As we strolled down Prince George Street, we took some photos by some of the interesting old houses along the way. The architecture and the charm of the area always make for nice backgrounds, and the light bounces around nicely in that area.
We stopped in the Naval Academy Courtyard, which offers nice scenery and good lighting most mornings and afternoons. The large, smooth, stone architecture of the Naval Academy is also a nice change of pace from the look of the residential areas. While at the Naval Academy Laura & George’s son wanted to practice running faster than the Flash, and we got some pretty cute photos of him zooming by.
We also took some photos by the water, where we were able to capture some lovely moments of the family enjoying each other’s company and laughing together. The water and the boats in the background make for a beautiful setting, though contrary to what most people assume, between the tourists and the harsh, unbroken sunlight, the waterfront area is pretty crummy for portraits most of the time. As the sun sets though, some really great opportunities can emerge.
So as the sun began to dip behind the downtown Annapolis skyline, we wrapped up the session by the water, getting some excellent soft lighting for our final shots.
It was really a fun and successful family portrait session. Despite the little one’s initial reluctance to take pictures, he ended up having a great time and we were able to capture some great moments of the family together.
