Happy birthday Poppa! Extended family photography session at Millar Road
Six years ago I met the Fenton family when one of their three sons, Matt, had his wedding to Jenna at The Mission Winery in Hawke’s Bay. I was stoked to hear that since then, they had been busy creating cool little humans and were rounding up theirs plus all the cousins to celebrate Poppa Andrew’s 70th at the stylish Millar Road accommodation, high in the hills of Haumoana about 15mins from Napier and Hastings. I joined them over the long weekend for an extended family portrait photography session (aka Play Time).
The great thing about extended family portrait photography sessions is that it’s of course an opportunity to get some professional photos of the entire family (not an easy thing to do with so many busy little people). But it’s also a chance to kill two birds with one stone and get portraits of your own little family as well. I typically start with the whole group, then break off into little groups so that young children get a chance to rest (or wriggle) away from my camera. As well as this, I capture adult children with their parents, grandparents swamped by all the grandkids and any other combos I can think of - including seeing which dad can throw their kid the highest.
I asked Jenna if she’d write a word or two about why they decided to do a session with me and how they found the experience and this is what came back (cue blush):
Eva, you are a rockstar photographer. You perfectly captured our extended family 70th birthday celebration in a way that everyone’s personality shone through in each photograph. You were an absolute natural with the kids and dog and your relaxed yet professional, fun enthusiasm made it such an enjoyable afternoon.
We got a perfect mix of both posed and relaxed family interactions and kids at play.
Thank you again Eva for capturing such beautiful memories we shall treasure. We look forward to the next time!
The weather for the Fenton’s portrait photography shoot was cloudy which was perfect for great skin tones. But because I’d scheduled it close to sunset, I was of course hoping for a little bit of magic and for less than five minutes, the sun snuck out and showered us with gold at the very best time of day. Cue more Play Time!
As a Hawke’s Bay photographer specialising in people, my goal is always to create photography that is candid and natural. When it comes to families, it’s got to go well beyond beautiful, posed shots of you all looking great. Children grow up SO fast, and they are so much fun when they’re small, so for me it’s vital to capture the joy and magic of them enjoying themselves with their wider family. When teenagers get tough and grandparents are no longer around, I know these memories are going to be so precious, and it’s this sense of purpose that makes me adore what I do 18 years since I picked up a camera and did my first family portrait photography session.