Backyard Camping & Wither Roses | Day in the Life Session | Chesapeake, Va

Day in the Life sessions make my heart sing.  This family of 4 in Chesapeake, Virginia hired me for 8 whole hours to document their daily life and their weekend routine. 
This particular weekend, they had prepared to camp at a local state park. As fate would have it, a few weeks before their session they had to cancel the reservation. They shifted perspective a bit and decided to camp in the backyard and asked if I would be okay with the switch...um, yes- a resounding yes! Weekend routine and backyard camping sounded absolutely dreamy to me. 

We headed to the local garden center to pick up a few more pumpkins (I mean, honestly, is there such a thing as too many pumpkins? I think not. Especially where heirloom varieties are concerned!). And, we also had a very special mission- we were on the search for the elusive Wither Rose. 
Because I'm old, and not cool, I had no idea what a Wither Rose was, but the littlest guy kindly informed me that they were black roses in Minecraft. And because his parents are awesome and supportive, they were proudly planting black pansies (aka, Wither Roses) in the front garden bed. 

The afternoons for most families have a bit of downtime. Watching some TV, reading a book, catching up on some homework, maybe even a nap. Not to worry, this is all normal and there's still a lot to be said and shot during this time. One of my favorite pictures from this session is this one below, of mom and dad talking through a little window in the kitchen. It's such a statement of parenting and sneaking in these quick, quiet.  little conversations whenever you can. 

By late afternoon, we were carving pumpkins and setting up for dinner and camping. Just because they had to cancel their camping plans at the campground and do it at home, doesn't mean you get a free pass to use the kitchen, right? They cooked their dinner over the fire and roasted hot dogs. It all made for the most delicious, most nostalgic aroma ever. And of course, as the night began to fall, they made s'mores. 

I know that this family will cherish their record of this experience and over time, their children will be ever so grateful for it too. It's such an honor to have been included in their family for the day and to witness their love. Your day doesn't have to be perfect, it just needs to be you. 

To schedule your Day in the Life Session or to learn more, click here or on the Contact tab above. I'm happy to send you a digital information packet straight to your email with all the good and juicy details on what I offer and how it all works.