Family portraits, but do it in the dark. Sometimes, most especially at family sessions, the unexpected takes over and you have to adjust to the unpredictable. This family session stretched my creativity to the maximum and it was the first time I ever used direct flash outside in the dark. This bold photoshoot ended with a dip in the pool for maternity photos. 10/10 recommend.
PHOTOGRAPHY: @rachelveltriphoto / LOCATION: @andazscottsdale
I had a wedding last September in Prescott, AZ and stayed in Scottsdale for a few days to enjoy some of the desert delights. I posted to see if anyone wanted to have some fun and make some art with me at the resort I was staying at, and my friend Jess reached out. She was actually in the wedding I was photographing, so it worked out perfectly that she and her family were also in Arizona at the same time.
Jess isn’t just a client. She has been in my life since our childhoods. I grew up best friends to her older sister and we have shared SO many memories and moments together. I’ve watched her and her family evolve before my very eyes as I’ve captured her wedding day (and her brother and sisters weddings too), most of all her maternity moments (even during COVID we did her maternity session through Zoom which was ICONIC), many wild family sessions, and so many other fleeting moments in between. I honor and cherish every time she asks me to capture her family.
We met up in the desert for this maternity/ family session, but guess what? Even photographers who travel for a living get mixed up in their brains sometimes. SO when we originally were planning our session I had it set to start at 5PM… which would have been lovely except for I FORGOT ABOUT THE FREAKING TIME CHANGE… Light around the globe works differently and you can’t assume that just because sunsets last longer in Colorado, or that you can play into the blue hour, that it will apply the same to other states on the map. When I tell you that 5pm came and the light completely peaced out, I’m not kidding.
She showed up to the resort and we took these photos in literally fifteen minutes. It was the first time I ever used flash like this at a family photoshoot. By the end of our fifteen minutes, the sun had completely set. These ended up being some of the coolest family photos I’ve ever taken. I was already feeling bold from having to redirect the whole photoshoot creatively in a different way, so I thought “why not” and asked her to jump into the pool to finish the maternity part of her session. 10/10 would recommend.
If you’re not a typical family like Jess + Luis, and you’re looking for not so typical family portraits, then you’re in the right place. Head to my contact page today and fill out the form so we can make some artistic memories together!
