I’ve had these photos sitting in a post now for a couple of weeks and have been struggling to find time to sit down and write about this beautiful family. Jessica (check out her work here) contacted me near the end of my East Coast trip this year. I had wrapped up my trip and she was putting her name into the hat should I ever head back out to PA again. Lucky for her, the rain prevented me from finishing up my traveling photographer duties and I was planning another quick trip out to the Pittsburgh area to wrap up this family. So we got Jessica and her family on the list and I set out to Pennsylvania for a second (third?) time in 2015. So I packed up my Indianapolis Photographer duties and headed east again.

As we were planning out their session, she mentioned this movie-setting-of-a-farm that her in-laws own and her husband grew up on. Turns out, they do their family photos on this property every year, and she shoots on this land, too! ((PEOPLE. If you’re in the Pittsburgh area and are looking to book a family session, SHE SHOOTS ON THIS MAGICAL LAND. Enough said.))

Jessica toyed with the idea of shooting somewhere else this year, but in the end she decided to stick with this location and I could not be more thrilled that she did. There’s enough land to achieve a different ‘look’ with each shoot and having never been there before, I think we shot in some new spots that she doesn’t often use in her family photos… or for her own clients!

I showed up a tiny bit early for this session and with my eyes wide, I headed up to knock on the door of the most gorgeous farmhouse I’ve ever laid eyes on… all while wiping the drool from the side of my wide-open-mouth. Of course, this was all after I greeted the guinea hen who was checking out my car. Ryan’s dad greeted me like I was a member of the family and offered me breakfast, coffee, or even some morning television. I had beat Jess and Ryan to the farm and was without service, so I settled in to chat until they arrived. I’ve never felt so at-home immediately after arriving somewhere. This family is certainly living right.

Ryan grew up on the farm and they bring their family to visit the Grandparents as often as possible. Have I mentioned these two are gorgeous? Or how about their kiddos? I think I even stopped shooting at one point to exclaim just how adorable they all are… Mom and Dad included. 😉

The littlest Corbin needed a snack after the first few shots, and if baby needs to eat, momma needs a photo of it. There’s just something totally magical and powerful about an image like this. <3 <3 <3 And since Jess is a photographer, herself, the focus was really on getting her into as many images as possible. A momma and her babies needs to be documented… regularly. And in every, little, possible way.

We don’t leave Dad out on these shoots, though. We make sure to get him in the frame, too. After all, I like to think that all of these images will make up that beautiful gallery wall someday! And what’s a gallery without photos of Dad, too!?

Favorite. Shot. <3

It’s a known fact that I like to chop off people’s heads… and other limbs of their bodies. I don’t often follow the rules of limbs and joints… who is it that said that rules are made to be broken?? I believe that images should speak for themselves…. tell a story with or without words to accompany it. So it’s images like these – a momma and her boys…. her two youngest… that speak to me the loudest. Especially with how she’s holding onto them both. Cue the heartstrings.

So as this family obliged in trucking (literally… we were in a little Rhino) checking out all these stunning locations, endlessly patient with several location changes and even an outfit change, they kindly dealt with the humidity and the sweat we were all drenched with (you can’t even tell, can you!?) and were nothing but all-smiles. Except for the above photo, but that’s another story. 😉

As we ended our session, we stopped for a couple of last photos down in the pasture. As I worked around the almost-midday sun, I realized my setup had me shooting back with the house and the barn in the background. While I normally would create a backdrop out of buildings, this image holds 30 (or more?) years of history in its background. The house is the one Ryan grew up in, the barn is where the horses stay that have been a part of the family almost as long as the property and that the grandkids come over to ride. These are the family photos that are pulled out for generations to come. These are the ones that show life how it ‘used to be’.

And a huge, huge, HUGE thanks to this family for gifting me with fresh beets, eggs, and honey straight from this farm. It had been a while since I’d had fresh eggs and I’d forgotten how much of a difference there is. They were gone within a week… shhh…. And the beets only made it to one meal. We’re planning on doubling how many beets we grow in our own garden next year because of you. Your kindness and generosity warms my heart even thinking about it now. Thank you for inviting me out to document your family and memories. I certainly hope we do meet again!!

casey and her camera is an Indianapolis Family Photographer specializing in couple, lifestyle, senior, wedding and family photography for Indianapolis, Indiana and the surrounding areas.