Brice + Ansley // Atlanta Family Session
When Ansley first reached out about doing a photo session for her Christmas card back in August, I was so excited. I was mostly excited to hang with their cute pup, Millie, but also Brice and Ansley, who are some of the coolest people ever. We planned for weeks what their session would look like, where it would happen, what they would wear. If I came across a post on Instagram of a cute couple and a cute dog, I would immediately direct message it to Ansley and say, “LOOK 😍” or “Inspo for y’all’s shoot.” The anticipation was building and before we knew it, November first was here.
I pulled into the parking garage at Piedmont Park in Atlanta, Georgia around five p.m. that evening and waiting for them to arrive. As they rounded the corner walking towards, I spotted Millie first, then Brice and Ansley, and Brice’s sister Shelby! We started the journey to the big hill—you’ve seen the one—on the opposite side of the 200-acre-park.
Brice, Ansley, and Millie family session in Atlanta, Georgia on November 2019.
In the planning of the stages of the session, Brice was very clear to me that he would not do “Anything weird,” and this made me so nervous. I overthought all my pre-session prompt and pose planning, “Was this too weird? Would you hold her hand?” So, when I made Ansley get on Brice’s back and get Brice to try and buck her off, he was pleasantly surprised and had so. Much. Fun.
After this, I made him run Millie up and down the hill, pick her up, and rile her back up. It was a blast. Eventually we got her to settle down for a bit and I got some photos of the two of them snuggled up with her and some of Millie sitting next to them. We walked from the big hill, to an overlook on the water that has a beautiful skyline of the city. It is one of the best views of the City in the Trees. I even took some photos of Shelby and Millie for her personal Christmas card.
On our walk throughout the park we saw lots of fluffy friends and SCOOTERS! I love riding these (in the park because I’m too scared to ride it on the road). Lime is a company that has electric scooters you can rent that charges you by time and mileage. They are a great way to get around the city and also kill some time in the park! Piedmont Park has paved roads that are usually closed off to regular traffic, so besides the normal cyclist and family walking their dog, you are free of obstacles. I have always wanted to do a session that included these scooters!
We joked about getting them on the scooters until Brice actually downloaded the app and found one to rent. Now we were on the hunt for one for Ansley. It took a few tries for her to hang of it once we located a scooter, while Brice was riding off into the sunset. We “scooted” to an area with a bit more light, as the sun was setting fast, and I quickly began taking pictures of them riding around, Brice doing tricks, and Ansley trailing behind. Then I got them to both ride one and finished the session with pictures of that.
This session was the epitome of my dream session. My main goal with whoever I am shooting whether it’s a couple, wedding, family, or senior, is to truly capture the moment not a pose and to make them feel the most comfortable in an uncomfortable circumstance (being in front of the camera). So here’s to more puppies at sessions and more Lime scooter adventures!