Falling for Family Portraits

Fall … that time of year when the air turns a little bit cooler, the kids are back in school and green gives way to yellows, oranges and reds. Summer (and this year, it was a fairly decent one for a change), that most wonderful time for cottages and BBQs, for splash pads and family reunions, inevitably surrenders itself to Autumn and all it’s particular glory.

September is all about “getting back to business” – the kids are back to school for another year, summer vacations are over and the commerce machine kicks into high gear in anticipation of the Jolly One’s season. No matter how old you are, you can still remember how everything just … felt different … after Labour Day weekend. I can still feel it nearly three decades out of school. After all the fun and games of the summer months ran their course, it was time to slow things down again.

As much as I’ll shed an imaginary tear while I put my shorts back in their drawer, my mind turns towards everything that comes with the new season. All of the local county fairs, Thanksgiving Day dinner with family, hazelnut steamers for long afternoon walks with Amanda, watching the trees slowly slip into their own colourful costumes for Halloween, corn mazes and piles of crunchy leaves: all of these things say “Fall” to me.

It’s also my favourite time of year for family portraits.

With the temperature at a more comfortable level and the long sleeves moved to the front of the closet again, it’s a great opportunity to spend some time together outdoors. We all have a favourite park, conservation area, hiking trails or hidden little gem that holds some special memory. Choosing a great location setting for your portraits is every bit as personal and important as the people standing next to you. We all carry with us memories of our favourite places and the good times we had there. It’s part of what enriches our lives.

Our own walls are gradually being adorned with our family portraits, in addition to the numerous albums we have put together. One in particular – a large high key composite canvas of our family members from London, Ottawa, Peterborough and Scotland – should be ready for the wall in the next couple of weeks. As our family’s different lives change, so do the portraits. It’s a way of keeping them close when so many of them live far away.

If you are looking to update your family’s portraits this fall or are planning your first ever family session, call me at 519.619.3237 or send me an email. All family portrait sessions booked between September 23 and November 11 are just $99 (+hst), regularly $225. Book by October 23, 2015 and save 10% on all your wall décor – prints, mounted stand-outs and canvas.