I’ve had the absolute joy of photographing this family for years now. I mean, it feels like just yesterday I was capturing their new beginning with their first son as a newborn, and now I get to document their next big adventure: becoming a family of four! This time around, they’re preparing to welcome another little boy, and it was so special to celebrate Beth’s pregnancy and the love that’s already growing between them all.
We started our session at the Carillon, a location I’ve been dreaming of using for years. With its clean white stone and beautiful architecture, it was the perfect backdrop for this classic family. Beth looked absolutely radiant in her white dress, and her son, C, was the sweetest little man in his blue Jon Jons. When he saw the big door, he immediately thought it was a castle and wanted to find the key to go inside! That kind of playful energy is exactly what I love to capture. The Carillon’s simple, clean background really allowed us to focus on the moments—the tender glances, the sweet snuggles, and the warmth of a family about to grow.
For our second location, we headed to Maymont’s Italian Gardens. With the sun setting and a full two-hour session, we knew C might be ready for a change of pace. He wasn’t too interested in posed photos, but that was perfectly fine with me. I always love capturing families in their element, and Maymont was the perfect playground for him to run, explore, and be a kid. The light was absolute perfection, making the flowers and greenery glow as we captured those beautiful, candid moments of this family just being themselves.
One thing I really challenged myself to do during this session was to step back and get a wider shot of the whole scene. I was so proud of myself for getting to capture this in both locations, using the lines from the stone stairs at the Carillon and the garden paths at Maymont to lead your eyes right to the family. It was worth every moment to capture these images for this special friend. The photos are everything I wanted for Beth’s maternity shoot—classic, warm, emotive, and full of that gorgeous, candid love. I can’t wait to see what the next chapter holds for them when their new little guy arrives!
