Eugene and Springfield, Oregon Family and Portrait Photographer: Spring Mini Sessions

I hope everyone is having a wonderful memorial day. With the changing seasons and beautiful flowers coming on, last month was time for my spring minis!

I was joined by fifteen beautiful families for these mini photography sessions, and it was a wonderful experience. I love how all the photographs turned out!

As an Oregon photographer I always stress out a bit about what the weather is going to be like for any outdoor photography session, but especially for my spring mini sessions, since there are so many people involved. This year I decided to minimize the stress by changing locations to an indoor setting. . . .Well, sort of. The Johnson family was kind enough to let me use their amazing greenhouses at Johnson Brothers Garden Market and Greenhouses, and I couldn’t be more pleased with the results. 

It turns out that a greenhouse is an incredible place in which to photograph. The temperature is controlled, making things more pleasant and comfortable for everyone; the frosted glass ceiling diffuses the sunlight beautifully, creating a soft but warm white glow; and best of all, the rain is kept out. And it did rain! A LOT. I was so grateful for the cover of the greenhouses and the Johnson family’s generosity in letting me use them. It really was key to making these spring mini photography sessions a success.

The Johnsons joined us for our session, and I was able to get some wonderful photographs of their sweet family. I love their little girl’s red hair!

Because the setting was so great, we were able to keep things simple and keep props to minimum. We used a weathered blue stepstool for several of the photographs, as well as a bicycle, a little wooden wagon, and some colorful baby quilts, but for the most part the flowers provided everything we needed. 

I had a great time working with all of these fantastic families and adorable kiddos. What a photogenic bunch, right? And I couldn’t resist snapping a couple photos of my own girls, Raelee and Kellen (see below). What can I say? As a proud mama and a baby and child photographer, sometimes I just can’t help myself. They do look awfully cute in their matching dresses though, don’t they?

All the beautiful hanging baskets were one of my favorite elements of photographing in a greenhouse. There is so much color and vibrancy in these photographs—and it was totally effortless on my part! The Johnson family’s greenhouses are also so well-organized and neatly kept. The orderly rows of tables on which many of the flowers and foliage are displayed created a really interesting sense of depth and a suggestion of the artistic “vanishing point” that isn’t often seen in family and portrait photography. I loved the unique feel that the greenhouse setting gave to the photographs, and I received great feedback from all the families there, so maybe this will need to be a new location for my spring minis going forward!