The Otto Family at St. James Farm

A hidden gem in Warrenville was brought to my attention back in May: St. James Farm. Formerly a privately owned horse farm, this beautiful forest preserve provides many trails for bike riders, hikers and runners. Stay along the path by the buildings, or go further into the woods.

It is also a wonderful place for portrait sessions. Several lakes, buildings, the woods, fences, open spaces, and trails will give photographers an endless choice for backgrounds. I have had several sessions there, and if you are up for doing a bit of walking, you can create much variety in your portraits.

For the Otto Family, we chose to stay near the horse stables and in the open field as photographing a two year old means I will be doing a lot of running. With the area as his playground, it is very difficult to just sit in one place. Being on dad's shoulders, playing with his older brother, and getting out the bubbles meant our portrait session was more like a lifestyle session. Mom and dad interacted with their boys, and walked together to get a few guided posed shots, but also many fun, interactive ones.

Each family session includes portraits of the entire family and also as many sub sets as we can get in. Mom/Dad, Mom/child, siblings, and so forth. For the Ottos, I was able to get many subsets so they received a lot of variety!