Eugene, Oregon family photographer: Spring Minis at Hendricks Park

This year I held my spring mini photography sessions in beautiful, blooming Hendricks Park. This is one of those gems that Eugene, Oregon photographers like myself absolutely love. It's tucked away near the University of Oregon campus and is well worth a trip out there in in April and May. I actually did schedule all of these sessions for April originally, but we got rained out the first night so we had to reschedule, and a few of them ended up being moved to early May. Surprisingly though, for famously damp Eugene, this is only the second time in almost six years that I've had to reschedule because of weather. All things considered, I think I've been very lucky!

Once we had rescheduled that first time the weather cooperated completely and really couldn’t have been better. Clear skies and sunshine, with that first hint of summer warmth in the air that makes me so excited for June and July. All the little girls looked so cute in their sun dresses, and some of the families brought props for us to incorporate into their spring family photography session, which was lots of fun.

Hendricks Park is known for its rhododendrons, and they are in full bloom at this time of year. Absolutely gorgeous, and so many beautiful colors! It's one of my favorite spring locations to shoot at, and I love how lush it always is. Even in the summer when there aren't many floral blooms left it's still green and beautiful and I end up using it a lot for my outdoor photography sessions. At this time of year though, everything is in full swing! As well as rhododendrons there are lots of wildflowers that you don't often see around anymore, like buttercups and forget-me-nots, along with delicate ferns, slender magnolia trees, and brightly colored azaleas. Add bird songs and bumblebees and you have the ideal place to spend a sunny afternoon. 

I had eleven families come out to join me this year, and it was so much fun! I offer these spring mini photography sessions to my clients first and then open them up to the general public if there are any spaces left, but these sold out to my return clients before the public had a chance. As a family photographer, these spring minis are one of the annual traditions I really look forward to, and I’m glad to know that many of my clients feel the same way! It was wonderful to see so many familiar faces—and in such a beautiful setting!

I really enjoyed getting to do some outdoor photography for the first time in a while. I love doing sessions in my photography studio in Eugene, Oregon, of course, and for many types of sessions that’s the most convenient option, but I like changing up the setting every once in a while, and spring minis are the perfect time to do that. I love how bright and beautiful all of our photos turned out. Hope you’ve enjoyed browsing through them!