Family: Sean & Alyssa, Andrew, Elly
Scene: Rustic Gate, Wildwood, South Field
Time of day: Late afternoon
Season: Springtime
Atmosphere: Familiar, warm, joyful
When presented with an open-ended hour on the Eagle Ridge acreage with their growing family, parents like Sean and Alyssa plan a few important details (like how to behave and what to wear) and then revel in the freedom of having prepared their children well.
Portraits of a Growing Family
Fatherhood—leading a family—is both a privilege and a responsibility. Since a young boy often wants to be like his dad, a wise father will carefully consider his own behavior through the eyes of his son. With his heart turned toward his son, a good father enjoys his son’s affectionate attention.
Alongside a father’s leadership, a mother’s gentle spirit and warm encouragement are essential. To most kids, cheerfulness in the face of the unknown doesn’t come naturally, so a godly mother has the potential to not only shape how her kids think, but also how willingly they step into new challenges.
At the beginning of every session, especially with a family new to portraits on the Eagle Ridge acreage, I make a point of asking, “Is there anything that makes you feel apprehensive as you think about the next hour?” Without fail, we’ve seen that the invitation for a family to name the concerns they’ve had about portraits builds an easy camaraderie that grows throughout our time together.
Alyssa’s answer broke my composure and had me giggling long afterward. I’d expected to hear about clothes getting dirty, kids being distracted, a cool breeze bringing on goosebumps. Her answer was so simple, straightforward, and unexpected that I couldn’t help but laugh. “Is there something that makes me feel apprehensive about this? Yep. Me!”
It makes sense, doesn’t it? Moms often shoulder the responsibility of compassionately guiding their children’s expectations. Even after all the conversations about how to behave and what to expect during a portrait session, we still have to sell it to ourselves!
Sean and Alyssa’s Family
Nate and I met Sean and Alyssa’s growing family at Bible study in 2015, while our eldest kids were only 10 months old. On the way home from one of the meetings, Nate turned to me and observed, “We don’t know them well yet, but they’re going to become some of our closest friends.” Nate doesn’t often make predictions like that, so I was inclined to believe him.
To this day, Nate and Sean see each other regularly for a men’s Bible study, as well as family play dates and LOTR marathons making beer. Our kids can’t wait to see each other, and ask each week when we’ll see the Whites next.
As the dads enjoy the fruit of their most recent beer project, often around the fire pit watching the kids on the tree house and giant tire swing Sean built, Alyssa and I compare notes and trade stories on homeschooling our crazy goofballs. For a brief window of time, as winter ended and Nate and I told stories of our acreage coming to life, both Sean and Alyssa asked questions about our favorite places for pictures in the springtime, and the best kinds of clothes to wear for the season.
Their kids now eight and five years old, Sean and Alyssa got off the fence about portraits and joined us for an hour mid-May. Why then? Sean told us, “It feels like a complicated question. There’s so much involved in it. There’s been so much happening in our lives, and with that our family needs to become more of a focus. We want our family to feel united—like this is us, we’re our own unit. We can celebrate who we are. And with this, I feel like we can definitely celebrate who we are as a family.”
Alyssa agreed. “I couldn’t have said it better. It’s been so much fun for us to go through this process with you from the ground up. We love learning about each next step you have for us.”
Trailblazing
It’s fair to say Sean and Alyssa were trailblazers on the Eagle Ridge acreage. Theirs was the first session to incorporate a grandma (the lovely Dianne, Sean’s mom) and a hat.
We started the hour with a party at Wildwood. We took a few group pictures before the kids got wiggly, then set the kids free. “What would it look like if the three of you were to wander arm-in-arm around the pond?” brought on a round of hysterical giggles unmatched by other families, and a few tears of laughter. Sean, Alyssa, and Dianne graciously humored us as they (tried) to make progress wandering, but could hardly hold it together enough to get anywhere.
It’s good to be loved, isn’t it? Sean’s two lovely ladies are clearly smitten.
We knew before the session began that Alyssa loved the rustic gate and wanted it in their portraits. She’d seen it in pictures of our kids with baby chicks (hung on the wall in our living room), and could.not.wait to have it in her own pictures.
Sean was intrigued by the windmill directly across the pond as an alternative to the gate. All we had to do was point the camera a little more to the south to show a completely different scene. Nate gave a simple instruction to talk about something they found interesting and Sean knocked it out of the park when he invited Andrew to join him for a father-son series and said, “Now Andrew, let’s talk about chainsaws.”
Everyone always loves Wildwood, but sometimes it’s not for an obvious reason. In this case, Sean and Alyssa loved it best because it occupied their daughter (with Dianne) and gave them a chance to sneak away for a few minutes. Nate found them sitting on a stump near the pond, hiding behind Sean’s hat.
Attitudes & Outfits
Familiar joy and exuberant silliness were hallmarks of Sean and Alyssa’s family. With a few lighthearted breaks thrown in, often revolving around the kids’ desire to play and Sean and Alyssa’s interest in snuggling, the time passed quickly. The rare moments of hesitation from the kids were quickly covered by Sean’s gentle reminders and Alyssa’s warmth and grace.
The entire family wore a simple collection of light neutrals and soft blues. Alyssa told us, “It wasn’t difficult to figure out what I envisioned for outfits. I liked that. We’re pretty simple in our hairstyles. Nothing real fancy.”
Sean affirmed Alyssa’s decisions. “I like the fact that our outfits and hairstyles are timeless. I enjoy seeing my family dressed up and having a good time with each other. Our kids are actually really good with pictures, so I wasn’t dreading it at all because of that. And it was extremely delightful doing the session because of all the ideas and instructions you guys gave us.”
A Growing Family on the Wall
Nate and I don’t often bring our kids with us on delivery day (because obvious reasons), but it was a no-brainer in this case. Our kids couldn’t wait to see the framed portrait of their friends hung on the wall.
We asked Sean and Alyssa how they felt about such a statement piece in their living room. They were both quick to reply. Alyssa said, “Blessed. I don’t think there was ever a picture like this around my home when I grew up. I recall a few pictures of us kids, or us kids in individual pictures, but there weren’t many of my parents or my parents with us. This is going to be up for a loooooong time.”
Sean added, “This is gorgeous. I love the backdrop. I love it. Elly looks like a doll. Andrew looks like a teenager, practically. I’m delighted. When the kids are screaming and having bad attitudes, I’ll more easily remember that they can be nice.”
Photographer’s Favorite
This one takes the cake. There’s little better than the indulgent love of a husband or son, and Alyssa and Dianne can each claim that gift as her own.
Springtime Portrait Highlights
Browse the highlights of Sean and Alyssa’s session.
Want to see a bit of the day Nate and I delivered a huge framed print to hang in their living room? We filmed it, then wrote about it on their testimonial page here.
