A Quick Glimpse At Derek And Jen's Affectionate Brood: Livermore, Ca Family Pictures
EAST BAY FAMILY PHOTOS
Camaraderie and patience: those are the two words that come to mind when I think of Derek and Jen’s family. There is this mutual trust, love, and genuine friendship amongst them that is palpable. It’s in the playful teasing, the joy they get from one another, and the easy rapport they share. But here is what made that extra-special for me, they have this exceptional dynamic as a blended family. It can hard enough for siblings to get along when they have spent their entire lives together, much less when they start their lives in one household that blends into another. And I say this as someone who was raised and loved unconditionally by a bonus dad and bonus grandpa, and as someone who now has a blended family of her own. Blended families are a beautiful thing and Jen and her family do it so well. When I asked Jen how all the kids get along her response was not only hilarious, but that of a seasoned parent, “The kids all band together and gang up on us.” Truly, they are an admirable example of what camaraderie and deep love in a family looks like.
PLEASANTON, CA FAMILY PHOTOS
To be sure, patience in any family, especially a blended one, is vital. We all have our different quirks in idiosyncrasies that make us unique. However, that is not why I think of patience when I think of them. Here's the backstory: we had scheduled their session two months prior. It took some juggling because they are a family of six with varied schedules, travel dates, and school/university timetables to contend with. Those all had to harmoniously mix with my own schedule which also had some travel dates as well. We found one that worked with everyone and honestly, I don’t think there was much, if any wiggle room. Their summer was packed. Even this date was cutting it close as Jen was gearing up to leave in a couple days later for Greece with a group of high school students. So really, the day of our session was in reality the only day we could do their portraits.
ALAMEDA COUNTY CA FAMILY PICTURES
However, there was this “little” game that popped up after Jen and I booked their session date. That game happened to be the Warriors championship. I have no idea how you even break that to your family (insert cringy face emoji). Let’s face it, sons and husbands typically have a hard enough time mustering any excitement for a family photo session (just look at this photo session from another blogpost to see how long one client of mine waited for her family to get on board), much less when it happens to coincide with such a crucial must-see game. These three gentlemen demonstrated so much grace during our portrait session. They brought their A-game, they were patient, they did allllll the things, and they smiled genuine smiles. In return I promised I would work expeditiously to get their session done so they could catch the second half of the game. Needless to say, I think they earned their badge of patience!
LIVERMORE, CA FAMILY PHOTOS
When planning their session Jen told me they had four kids ranging in age from 14-19. She had mentioned that Riley would be going into his senior year this fall. We decided that he would get a few additional photos during their family heirloom session so he would have them on hand for this exciting school year. He brought along his letterman jacket and football for a few photos to commemorate his time on the football team. His goal is to continue playing in college and while his dream school is Michigan, he is thinking he would love to attend Cal Poly. Nate is the oldest and graduated from high school last year. He will be entering his sophomore year of college in Indiana in the fall. He is majoring in business and thinking about focusing on finance. In the meantime, he is busy getting all those general ed classes out of the way. Fun fact, Nate also went to Thailand his sophomore year of high school and bravely ate a caterpillar. Bugs, which are dense in protein, are a common street food in Thailand. Who knew?!? The two youngest of the family are the girls: Taylor and Hayden. It was during our session that I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Taylor is BFF's with my friend’s daughter who is the older sister of my son’s friend. Our community, which has that whole "six degrees of separation" thing going on, often feels small and intimate that way and I love it! I also happened to find out Taylor may or may not be the messiest sibling in the house lol. Everyone seemed to look in her direction when asked who the messiest sibling was. As a formerly messy teen, I reminded her that messy people are often creative so there is a silver lining to being organizationally challenged. Rounding out the brood is Hayden. She just wrapped up middle school and is looking forward to going to high school with her older sister. She is a quiet and gentle soul who also happens to speak Spanish. How fun to have a big sister to share the high school experience with! The girls' bond was incredibly sweet and they asked to take a photo of just the two of them for their room. I love it!
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA FAMILY PICTURES
For most clients, clothing is the biggest obstacle with portrait sessions. From families to seniors this is what most find as the biggest struggle. As a middle aged mom I completely get it! Let me tell you, even though Jen was stressing about what they all would wear, she, Derek, and their kids nailed it! The California hillside location they chose is mostly tones of yellow with a secondary color of blue from the sky. When thinking about what to wear my biggest piece of advice to clients is wear what you feel confident in. We all know the power of a good outfit and when it doesn’t make you feel good it can show in photos. My other suggestion is to think about everyone’s comfort level, style, and the colors in your location. If you and your family are casual people comfort may be an important consideration. Look at the color wheel when examining your location colors. If you’re surrounded by green, red and dark orange will really pop because they are complimentary colors to green. The color scheme Jen and Derek chose for their family was perfect. The cool blues popped against the golden hillsides. Meanwhile the pinks and khaki/taupe paired nicely with the blues for a fresh spring look. Hayden had little pink flowers on her shirt which matched Nate’s pink button-down. Most importantly everyone was comfortable and could move in their clothing choices. These are all great things to consider with what to wear for your session. I also provide clients with a session guide that is full of tips and have a Pinterest board for that which you can see by clicking HERE.
SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA FAMILY PHOTOS
Looking for a family photographer in Alameda County, Contra Costa County, or the San Francisco Bay Area? I would love the opportunity to get to know both you and your family. I will preserve your exceptional story through timeless photographs and luxury artwork. My clients come from all over the Northern California and the Bay Area - Pleasanton, Fremont, Danville, Dublin, Walnut Creek, Castro Valley, San Ramon, Livermore. Book a consult using the button below so we can get to know one another and start planning your family's heirloom portrait experience.
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