THREE GENERATIONS AT PARANA PARK
Three generations came together for this session at Parana Park, all there for the youngest member of the family, a nine month old girl who had everyone wrapped around her little finger.
We met late on a Thursday afternoon just before sunset. The light at Parana Park that time of day is gorgeous, warm and golden through the gardens with plenty of variety within a short walk.
I could tell everyone was a little nervous when they arrived. That’s completely normal, especially when you’ve got a big group and not everyone is used to being in front of a camera. We kept things calm and low pressure from the start and within a few minutes they’d settled in.
We stayed in one area and worked through the different groupings from there. The whole family together first, then I’d take each couple to a nearby spot for some photos on their own while the others relaxed. The grandparents were wonderful together. There’s something about photographing a couple who have been together for decades, the way they are with each other is quiet and easy and it comes through in the photos without any prompting.
The little one was the star of the whole session. Nine months is such a good age for photos. She’s sitting up, she’s curious about everything, and she’s got these big expressions that change every few seconds. Everyone wanted a turn holding her and every combination produced something different.
A couple of times one of the daughters helped translate a direction for the grandparents, but it never broke the flow. That’s the thing about keeping sessions simple. When the directions are easy to follow, language doesn’t really matter. Walk here, look at each other, hold her close. The connection does the rest.
We wrapped up in about forty-five minutes. It was fast but we covered a lot of ground, every pairing, the big group shots, and plenty of moments with the baby that they’ll have for years to come. They mentioned afterwards how relaxed the whole thing felt, which is exactly what I want to hear.
— Tony
