Livingston NJ Family Photo Session
Amanda wanted a family photo session for her family. She wanted some nice photos for holiday card. We decided to wait until fall and so we finally had the photo session last Saturday. I suggested Grover Cleveland Park in Caldwell, NJ as the place for the photo session. I had done family photo session before at that park and I like the fact that it is a decent size park but tucked away so it never gets crowded. Only neighborhood people show up early morning.
The autumn morning was cold and I was wondering if it was going to be too cold for the kids. Soon the family showed up. By the time everyone was out of the car, I was quietly appreciating the fact and Amanda took every care for choosing the clothing for the photo session. Lots of neutral tones and textures.
It took a while for the kids to get warmed up. And then we got rolling. The sun was out and the light was really nice. The other side of the lake was in the shadows and it was a perfect setting for contre jour shooting! It is my favorite light and very flattering. Great for kids, too!
I used a park bench to get some elevation for isolating the kids against the dark shadows across the lake. I was using flash to provide some fill in. The walking track provided a dramatic setting for a shot of the family holding hands. I don’t like to take posed shots. But there are always going to be some posed shots at a family photo session, so whenever possible, I try to keep those looking natural and dramatic natural light is one way to do that, basically by countering the static pose.
