When I started photographing families in Lansing, MI over a decade ago, I would drive around and scout locations all the time. I’d wander around a field or a park and check out the places that I would want to use. As I photographed more and more families, I started to find my favorite locations and develop a list of my recommended spots. Then we moved to the Ann Arbor area last year and I realized that I would have to start that process all over again.

At first it was intimidating and overwhelming to leave behind 10 years of tried and tested locations in Lansing, but as Xav, Felix, and I have been exploring over the last few months, I’ve been getting so excited to begin shooting sessions in Brighton as well as Lansing. The Ezikians lakeside adventure session was the perfect way to convince me that a set of new photo spots might not be so hard to find after all.

Adventure sessions are a bit longer than studio or in-home sessions. They involve in-depth outfit planning and so much of the family’s personalities and dynamics that it makes each session incredibly unique. Not all kids like getting their photo taken and these sessions allow kids the room to explore and play while warming up for the smiling photos. We started the Ezikian’s session on a hill doing a pretty epic Sound of Music re-creation and by the time the sun was setting, we ended up in the lake. It was a perfect evening with a wonderful family! Here are my top favorite photos from their session!