The last time you saw the Kennedy family the kiddos were so little, and now they’re practically all grown up! We LOVED that first family shoot of theirs — their outfit choices and how all in they were. So good! So, Ashley was excited to hear from them when they wanted to do a back-to-back family and senior session with the Van Fleteren family. You see, the two moms are besties… So, we knew this would be a fun way to approach these two family shoots…

What a great time Becca had with this crew for their 2021 Fall Short Stories! This group was mostly annual regulars with the exception of one new family (hello, Millers!). Becca also got to photograph one of Ashley’s regulars for the first time and it was so fun! After worrying all week about the weather, the rain never came and the slightly cloudy day worked out just fine for these fall mini shoots! This was the first time Becca shot at this new, tiny park she discovered near North Hills in Raleigh. Needless to say, she’ll be heading back there more because it worked so well and the backdrops were perfect!

Y’all, we absolutely feel so blessed to see these same faces each year! What an honor to be trusted over and over again! ❤️

When y’all reach out to us for a shoot we always want to consider your story in how we structure our time photographing you. We want to make it a great experience for everyone involved! The Van Fleteren family knew that their senior kiddo would not love a stuffy, long senior session in a studio. Instead, they knew they’d appreciate something very low pressure, outside with their family… AND we’d keep it painless for the whole crew with not too long of a session.In the end, they booked their session back-to-back with their best family friends, who also have a senior (hello, Kennedy family *waves*). This was wonderful because they could cheer each other on and take the pressure off the senior kids in the two families.

The leaves were perfection, the weather was perfection, and the people were absolute perfection!! Ashley started off this day of fall mini shoots with one new client — which, oh my goodness, is always so meaningful for us — and then the rest of her day felt like a Story Photographers homecoming! We just love love love shoot days like this where we get to reconnect with you and your families. Ashley photographed a lot of kids in different age groups on this one day. One thing that photographing kiddos their entire lives has shown her is a study in what the different photography challenges are at different ages. Photographing people as long as we have, we’ve learned how to navigate those challenges…

Can we just start this off with saying how thankful we are?! Once again we find ourselves being blown away by the incredible response we have received to these Fall Short Stories. We are SO grateful for y’all and all the ways you support us. Year after year, you keep us very busy and very thankful! You’re just the best and we feel so overwhelmed with gratitude that THIS is our job. So, thank you!Now, back to the fall minis! This was Ashley’s first fall mini shoot day of the year, and she had a blast! Ashley always gets so excited for these shoots because it’s like when you go to your church’s Homecoming Sunday (hello, all my southerners! You will understand this. haha!) and everyone has returned home with their families.

We love an extended family shoot! Ashley had the best time at the JC Raulston Arboretum with this sweet family. It was so nice to be back in this location after it was closed last year because of the pandemic.Pro tip: Schedule your extended family shoot at the end of the year when the family is gathered together for the holidays! An extended family shoot also makes the perfect gift for the grandparents or that person who already has everything. ;)