{family} The Yaun Family

There’s a first for everything, right? Though the sun was shining, the wind was fierce and it was 23 degrees out at Oakbourne Park in West Chester. There were three families and two very proud grandparents. The plan was to keep warm any way possible for this photo shoot. Juls, Justin, Jordan, Courtney, Kim and Josh kept their cars running so they could defrost while another family was getting their pictures taken. Hats, gloves, jackets, hand-warmers, feet-warmers and scarves were a must. Phrases like, “It’s actually not as cold when you can’t feel your body,” and “Does anyone have a tissue? Deano has boogers running down his face!” were said. Text messages like “Juls, can you please bring a step stool for me?” were sent…and every bit of it added to the joy and absolute fun of this afternoon.

The Yaun Family shoot was the coldest photoshoot I’ve ever done, but as I said to Juls while I was editing and going through each photo, they’re the only family that could look this gorgeous on a freezing day like we had. All of these firsts turned out to be an incredible experience.

Let me backtrack to about six months ago when Juls reached out to me to do an extended family photo shoot with her family, her two brothers’ families and her parents. It took six months for plans, schedules, and weekends to work out for everyone and the lucky day we arranged didn’t disappoint at all. Despite the bitter cold, there were smiles on all the ruddy cheeks. With six kids and eight adults, the laughs didn’t stop. Leaves were thrown in the air, jumping jacks were done to keep warm, jackets were thrown off then put back on, shivers were natural, and in every single picture I took, the happiness on each of their faces was wholeheartedly genuine. One of my favorite things was watching the cousins: McKenna, Logan, Griffin, Dean, Landon and Violet play with each other.

This photo shoot was also the first shoot where I photographed multiple families at once. I didn’t have a set plan, because with so many people and kids, things hardly ever go as planned. Since everyone arrived at different times, I started photographing Kim and Josh’s family first and then just naturally let it progress as the time went by. The park is gorgeous; there are old stone buildings, a water tower, unpaved walking trails, an arboretum, and the Oakbourne Mansion. With so many places to pick from, it was wonderful that the kids picked most of the places for these photos. The areas choses were unique and captured the uniqueness and character of the park. As one family was being photographed, the others ran to their cars and prepared for their turn. It was hilariously amazing.

One of the best spots was discovered by McKenna. It was literally in the bushes. I had to snap branches and squat in between two plants, but the lighting and stone wall as background were perfect.

Nanny and Pop (Jane and Paul) had the best humor and rolled with all of the pictures and ideas. Along with the individual family photos, I was sure to get pictures of the children, Nanny and Pop with their kids, their grandchildren, and of course, the amazing group family photos.

This photoshoot was an experience for the books (or blog). Thank goodness for laughter, for family, for friends, for hand-warmers, and for hot chocolate, which we enjoyed afterwards.

Thank you, Yauns, for trusting me with capturing your stunning, lovely family. These pictures were taken with so much love.