Golden hour sessions are, in my opinion, the best time of day to schedule a family session. As the sun sits low in the horizon it casts golden light across the landscape that creates a perfect gorgeous glow in photos. This ‘hour’ happens only twice a day, at sunrise and sunset. Overall when scheduling family sessions, MOST families opt for a sunset session, for obvious reasons. I’ll be honest, that sunrise time IS rough for families with littles. Getting up in the morning is hard enough, but throwing in getting up and ready for a photo session can be even harder. I totally appreciate that! But let me tell you, the families that do decide to do a sunrise session are in for a gorgeous surprise. The morning offers such a variety of beautiful “special effects”. Mist over cool running creeks, fog that hasn’t gotten a chance to burn off yet, and don’t forget about the cooler temperatures in the middle of the summer. There are definitely benefits to booking a sunrise session.
The Lancaster Photography Session
I recently traveled to Lancaster County for this Lancaster photography session. We were looking for the perfect backdrop with hilly landscape views that would look amazing with the rising sun. Lancaster County has hundreds of options for photography sessions- from a beach like vista, to downtown urban settings, to open flower fields, and wooded trails. There is no shortage of opportunities for amazing photography options. And Lancaster County offers options for pretty much anything and everything you are looking for.
The details of this Lancaster Photography Session
We actually decided to try out 2 separate locations for this session- 1 for the landscape views and wooded pine forest, and another for water views and small trail options. Sessions with multiple location options give amazing variety in final galleries. The only drawback is that these sessions can take a little longer, since there is travel between sites required. It can be hard with kids to pack them up and travel around, which is why I normally recommend sites with lots of variety at that particular location. But for this session, the kids were totally on board with exploring and checking out these new spots. They were in heaven!
Like all of my family sessions- we did a mix of posed family images and candid captures for this early morning session. The kids were a little sleepy to start, but it didn’t take them long to warm up and run around chasing each other and laughing and smiling. I always use prompts to capture genuine and authentic reactions for family sessions. Things like “who has the smelliest feet in the family” “run around Mom and Dad”. The kids LOVE getting to interact during the session- instead of having to just stand around and be told to smile. Plus- it captures the real life moments of having a family with small kids.
You can check out some of the session photos below! If you are interested in seeing more about my family sessions, you can check them out on my website: https://jessicalauren.photography/family
