There is a real element of wonder to family photoshoots and this family outdoor portrait session in Redding, California was no exception. For a brief slice of time, I become privy to the tenderness, the fun, the raucous laughter, the in-jokes, and the intimacy of a family unit. More than merely being a fly on the wall, as the photographer, I am welcomed into their world, if only for a moment.
The Johnson family is something else. Eric and Candace are leaders in our community: people I respect and admire. Over the years I’ve watched their lives play out from a distance.
What I love about a good family outdoor portrait session is that together we lean past the camera-shy, past the awkward, past the nervousness. I watched the Johnsons draw beauty from each other with such ease and even more laughter. I watched them pull confidence out of each other, taking it in turns to champion each other, never taking themselves too seriously.
And as I watched, I realized that this kind of celebration and championing doesn’t ‘just happened’. No, this is worked at, this is fought for, over the years, perhaps over the generations.
This was a masterclass in Family. In what it means to love, and sacrifice, and share in each other.
Related: Watkins Family Outdoor Portrait Session
As the sun dipped into the blue hour during this family outdoor portrait session, I had them pile into the back of their truck with Chilli, the dog (and vital, fifth family member!). I love these images. They’re full of fun and afternoon-ease set against the backdrop of a calm and serene Redding, California. They capture the security of family, with Kennedy and Selah pulling out the playful, goofy-side of their parents.
I knew that I wanted to shoot them outdoors in an open field. I needed to make sure that the emphasis of the images was on ‘them’, and not distracted by the location. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect environment in the Millville Plains. The sparseness, the Northern Californian sky putting on a spectacle, and the simplicity of the muted colors were everything I had hoped for.
