Last weekend, Megan shot our family photos, and we had the most magical experience! However, it was not without the typical family photo drama.
Like many families I photograph, we wound up at Target shopping for Ian and Elias’s outfits the morning of our family photo session with Megan. I had scheduled a last minute shoot right before we were to have our family photos taken, and my mind was focused on what I had coming up rather than the task in front of me. This resulted in me grabbing the wrong size shirt for Elias. A simple problem but I headed out to the shoot without knowing that it needed to be solved.
I left all further preparation to Erik, my very highly capable man, and went to photograph a magical elopement in the woods. When I came back to reality for my own shoot, I stepped into a Casey’s bathroom to get ready, red lipstick in hand (which later the boys lovingly complimented me on). Luckily, Erik had managed the oversized shirt situation by simply tucking it in, and the boys showed up looking dapper and coordinated. Amazingly, we all arrived early, and Megan began the shoot with a prolonged Winston snuggle with her predictable enthusiasm.
Before we stepped in front of Megan’s camera, I wondered how this was going to go. Not with her shooting but with ……. our collective behavior. Because we are bringing two highly energetic boys to the encounter, anything is possible.
True to form, Megan managed us with all her energy and creativity. Boy did she keep us moving! We changed poses and locations around the World Food Prize several times, making it feel more like an adventure than a photoshoot. She indulged little Ian in all his antics while kindly and firmly getting him back on track. Elias, with his sly smile, warmed to Megan quickly, relaxing into what started to feel like “playtime.” She showed us photos throughout, so we could get a sense for how things were going. The boys got more and more excited as they saw how handsome they looked, and the momentum just rolled!
What we created together was magic. Anyone who has been photographed by me knows I’m bossy and have incredibly high standards. Megan has lived with, encouraged, and upheld those standards for the 5+ years we’ve worked together, but this shoot was something different.
Maybe it was her, maybe it was me, but I knew that this was Megan’s show, and I was completely and totally safe to relax and let her do her thing. She picked the location, directed us all around the World Food Prize, gently guided us away from a less than ideal background that I had proposed (the sign of a truly confident photographer is knowing where NOT to photograph), and managed every individual's energy on the shoot. Oh, and she of course made Winston, our incredibly stubborn English Bulldog, feel very handsome too.
As we continue to pour over the photos and post them here, I can say with full confidence that this is the best family photo session I’ve ever experienced. Erik’s texts to me when I started sharing the images with him are proof of the unbridled enthusiasm we had, and we just ordered a whole bunch of images for our walls.
It’s with great pride and immense confidence that I’m so proud to announce that we are expanding Megan’s shooting role at Ivory House. We are looking forward to her taking over all newborn sessions (just you wait for that blog post❤️) and senior photos along with doing her own family mini sessions. I’m thinking we should come back to the World Food Prize, yes?
Megan had been my personal family photographer since she started with me, and I couldn’t be more excited to expand her role and see her creativity soar. To all you lucky people who have already had the pleasure of being photographed by Megan, you know that this announcement is way overdue.
To my Megan, you are amazing, and I can’t wait to see what we create together!