My grandparent’s farm in Niles, Michigan holds so many memories for my brother, sister, and I growing up. We grew our prize-winning vegetables to take to the county fair every year there. My sister and I showed our horses from this barn, starting out in 4-H and progressing all the way up to the Paint Horse World Show and Quarter Horse Congress. My brother still has tractor stored there.
It’s only natural that we’d all want pictures of our kids there. While in town over the recent holiday, we took some time to take a few pictures out to ‘the farm’, as it’s been called for as long as I can remember.
My nephew, Logan, turned 5 this year and the farm is the perfect place for a 5-year-old to play. . . while I try and take pictures.
I love doing photo shoots with my sister. 99% of the time we are both on the same page, especially with the pictures. She has a few ideas in her head and I have a few ideas in mine, so we usually move very quickly when taking pictures of her kids. We know what will work and what probably won’t work. I’m not afraid to try a particular shot, even if I know I will struggle with it. It helps me get better, which helps her get better pictures in the long run, so it’s a win-win.
Because we shot these pictures outside, at the farm, in the dirt, we really didn’t want to go with the pressed pants and button up, collared shirt. My sister put Logan in some torn jeans and t-shirt and we made it work. He even went barefoot, which made it seem even more like he’s a farm boy growing up in the cornfields of Michigan.
Of course, as with most photo shoots between my sister and I, we had all of our kids. Well, my mom kept Sadie at home this time, so we only had 4 boys 5 and under running around 13 acres. All the boys jumped in and out of the picture frame throughout Logan’s entire session. Occasionally the dog, Daisy, would photo bomb us as she tore around the pasture, trying to find something to chase.
We shot these around 7:30 PM, since it doesn’t really get dark until 9 in the summers up north. The lighting was a bit bright when we first started, but towards the end of our time, the light was really pretty. Shooting later in the evening makes for a softer glow and more flattering lighting on your subjects. This is always my preferred time to shoot a session.
Here’s a few of the birthday boy that are my absolute favorite!
Comment