Family portraits at Powell Butte nature park in Portland are always special. But come fall, when the late summer sun kisses Powell Butte’s golden fields, family portraits taken there seem to have an extra sparkle. They give off an almost magical luminescence.

And photographing the Smith Family—Annie, James, Michael, Mathew, and Ellie—turned out to be as magical as the location we chose for their portraits.

This is one of those “the world is a small place” stories. One day I received a call from Lisa, James’s mother, who lives in Oklahoma. She explained that she wanted to gift a family portrait session to her daughter-in-law, Annie, who lived in Gresham, Oregon. And as it turned out, Annie’s daughter, Ellie, and my daughter, Kiana, enjoy weekly play-dates together at our local community center. It’s a small world after all!

Lisa knew that a family portrait session was the perfect gift for Annie. With three kids in tow, Annie and James felt their family was now complete and they wanted to capture his moment in their family’s life while their kids were still little.

From the beginning, Annie had a specific vision for her family portrait session. She new she wanted a lot of sunshine in an open field-like setting. We quicklya greed that Powell Butte was the pefect place.

And she was keen on a specific style too. She dressed the boys in light blue dennim, and the girls in pink. The soft pastels created a beautiful country feeling, which was complimented by the golden fields and open sun at Powell Butte.

Prior to their family portrait session, I had an opportunity to sit down with Annie and James. We talked about what they wanted to accomplish with their family portraits and how they wanted to display them in their home. I even brought along samples so they could touch and feel the products I offer through my studio.

Together we developed a vision for their home, which included a canvas grouping in their dining room and a “standout” wall collage in their living room. Helping Jame and Annie envision and design this plan in advance made it easier to capture images that would work well for their overalll home decor goals.

In the end, we were able to create beautiful wall art displays for their family home, which I hope will someday become heirlooms that Michael, Mathew, and Ellie will pass on to their grandchildren. Even the one when Ellie became “hangry!”

Are you interested in capturing this moment in your family’s history and creating beautiful art for your home? Click here to learn more about family portraits with Brian Pasko Photography!