California Botanic Garden Family Photography by Tom Keene @ LAdigitalPhoto
Photos are nice on a phone. Photos are meant to be displayed in your home.
What a fun day it was 4 days ago with the Lopez family. They were referred to us by another client of ours which is always a great way to be able to create moments like this with more and more people.
The California Botanic Garden is a huge area so make sure you bring your walking shoes and is a great place for family photography. We have captured many other families here for family shoots, maternity and engagement sessions and a wedding that our video team covered for a couple in July of 2023.
This garden is devoted to California native plants and it the largest in California. The grounds are always kept nice and filled with paths that you can walk. There are a few hills to climb so keep that in mind.
We started at this big oak tree along the path. The initial photos are always a good starting point for any shoot to get people relaxed and see how they react to the camera, especially with little ones. They don't always even know what a camera is since for them that would be a phone. Luckily they brought their son's favorite toy, a TV remote that he likes so that helped get his attention.
I broke them apart to have individual moments with the boys. Mom was getting genuine smiles. And each photo was getting better and better as they relaxed.
While they packed up the stroller, I got a chance to let their oldest son have some fun and climb on the fence there. I think this was the most real smile I got out of him. These are the moments I am looking for.
From there we were headed to the other side. This is a bit of a hill so use the handrail if you need it. Most photographers shy away from the backlighting of the sun. I take it as a challenge as it is really a pretty way to light the shot.
From there we found one of the many benches in the park. As we walked I had grabbed some huge leaves for the boys to hold. Kids love leaves. It won't be long before they both won't fit like that on this bench.
Now love is what creates a family. Couples often don't give themselves the time to be alone. When I do these sessions, I like to bring the couple back together, a moment alone, to rekindle that flame that too many lose over time. These two clearly have been working on staying romantic with each other as they were quick to come together. I am glad they embraced the moment.
With a bit of a walk, and some sun in their hair, we got back to some family moments.
Now it was time to get some moments with little brother. He has a contagious smile.
We had another stop along the way near a pond. But I wanted to get this moment before we left. Kids love to look at flowers but often do it. Having him take a few seconds to look at it, and you can see him really finding something you might just walk by capture his imagination.
550+ Images in just about an hour and a nice walk to boot.
1500 N. College Avenue
Claremont, CA 91711
There is a permit fee for the location. Contact them for current rates at 909-625-8767