Natural Loving Family Session

San Jose Hilltops

Family sessions, could be argued, to be my favorite type of photo session simply because seeing the love and connection between each family brings me so much joy, and that is how I felt after I got the honor to photograph Aly and Adam’s sweet family at the San Jose Hilltops.

With 7-year-old triplet boys and a darling 5-year-old daughter, this family session was seriously so much fun to capture. I kept finding myself clicking away because each moment felt like a special memory. The boys were so sweet with their little sister and Aly and Adam just let their kids be who they were and it set the tone for the evening.

I photograph many, many families and while all families are beautiful in their way, the bond that Adam and Aly had, especially the kids with one another, was so special. It is so easy as parents during photo sessions to pester or badger our kids to smile or listen to the photographer…but as a photographer, I can see how this affects the photos and I can’t stress enough to let your kids smile, stick out their tongue, giggle, or do a little jig because, in the end, the photos will feel like your children.

Aly and Adam styled themselves and their sweet family and they did such an incredible job. They avoided the “too matchy-matchy” outfits and each child looked like themselves and not too overdressed. Honestly, they looked like they walked out of a Zara catalog, and all in all, it felt so natural and true to who they are.

The San Jose Hilltops, where we did Aly and Adam’s session, is a perfect location for family sessions which I know from personal experience. I brought my kids to this location almost every day during quarantine when school was virtual and everything was closed – including neighborhood playgrounds, and as a work-from-home mom, I needed to find a place for my kids to be kids. This place felt truly like nature’s playground and when I saw my children climbing, exploring, and being themselves, I knew right then and there this location would be perfect to photograph families.

Having an outdoor family session, versus a studio session, can bring a lot of depth and color to your photos and help build the narrative behind each image. Finding perfect location spots, like the San Jose Hilltops, for your family session is a big part of what I do before we get together for photos. This ensures that we have both a safe space beautiful space for kids to be kids and have room to play and get creative.

While we photographed Aly and Adam’s family, the kids were monkeying around on the branches and tree stumps making it all just feel so playful and there was such honest childlike joy, which you can see in the photos.