Ashlee, Margaret, and Thea’s delightful outdoor family session

One of the great joys of my work is getting to follow and document a family through multiple seasons in their lives. Ashlee and Margaret are an amazing couple I’ve gotten to work with several times now, photographing their maternity session when Margaret was pregnant and their newborn session after they welcomed their darling daughter Thea into the world. Most recently, we met up to capture their sweet family of three as they celebrated Thea turning one. 

As we spent time planning this session, Margaret and Ashlee reflected on how much growth they had witnessed in Thea over the course of her first year. They wanted this photoshoot to capture Thea’s budding personality– her curiosity, her sweetness, the giggles and smiles that came easily to her when she is with her mamas. Ashlee and Margaret also love nature and spend much of their time outside with Thea, so they wanted me to photograph them at meaningful outdoor locations. 

Our photoshoot began at Schaar’s Bluff, which is located on this beautiful park reserve in St. Paul filled with open fields and trails. Schaar’s Bluff is also the spot where Ashlee and Margaret got married, so it holds an immense amount of sweetness and sentimentality for them. It was a sunny, early fall morning, and the blend of green trees, golden grasses, and glowing sumac bushes created a gorgeous backdrop. Looking through these photographs, you can practically hear Thea and her moms laughing and exploring the trails together.  

Many of my favorite portraits of the day were candids taken on these trails, capturing Thea cuddled beside her mamas and exploring the natural world with so much awe and curiosity. She would grab a fallen flower or clump of grass, gaze at it, hold it up to the camera, and smile, as if she wanted to show off this rare treasure she had just discovered with everyone around her. Watching Thea take in and greet the world around her, and watching Ashlee and Margaret look at her with so much love, felt like such a special moment to behold. 

After exploring Schaar’s Bluff, we moved to Ashlee and Margaret’s home to take some family portraits with their two beloved dogs, Luna and Cosmo. We gathered on their back deck for some candid and directed portraits. The dogs were so squirrely and excited to have their people back home, and Thea was crawling around in bliss to be with the pups, so there were constant wiggles as we tried to take the pictures. I love how much life, movement, and fun these portraits capture.

We finished the photoshoot by walking to a favorite nearby park where Ashlee and Margaret take Thea all the time. I could sense how joyful and at home they all felt together as they walked the familiar paths and boardwalks. While Thea was not yet walking on her own when we took these portraits, by the time I delivered their album a few weeks later, she had taken her first steps! These portraits hold so much palpable sweetness as they at once document a single moment in time amidst Thea’s rapid growth as a baby and the steadfast constancy of Ashlee and Margaret’s loving attunement to their daughter.