RACHEL’S FAMILY SESSION | MCLAREN FALLS PARK
II’ve photographed Rachel and her girls a few times now, including Rhiannon’s maternity session at the beach and family shots on the farm. This time, the family grew. Rachel brought her dad, Gary, her step mum Marie, both daughters Caitlynn and Rhiannon, and Rhiannon’s fifteen-month-old son Glowbug. Four generations in one session!
We stayed in one spot at McLaren Falls Park near Tauranga. I chose it because it’s versatile, big trees, walking paths, a lake, benches, and enough variety to shoot a full session without needing to move everyone to a new location. With a group this size and a toddler involved, that matters.
There were a lot of combinations. The whole family together, grandparents with the grandson, the sisters, mum and daughters, Rachel and Gary. We worked through them without it feeling like a checklist. I used prompts and gave them things to do rather than asking everyone to stand still and smile, which is how you get real expressions from a group that big. Some of the ideas were theirs too, like the three-person shoulder pyramid.
Glowbug was the star of the session. Fifteen months old, chasing ducks by the lake, being thrown in the air, sitting on shoulders. He set the energy, and everyone followed.
These are the sessions I love. A family that keeps coming back, getting bigger, and letting me photograph the new chapters as they happen.
— Tony
