So when Chris contacted me about family photos, she says “Erin told me you’ve been doing cute things like tea parties in the woods.”

Uh, yeah, I have. I’ve really been working on building the experience of the photo session, making it unique, fun, artful (yes, there’s that word again) yet still using the surroundings closest to me. I have this lovely space behind my home where there are no houses….just a few lots deep of wooded area. To me, it’s a treasure trove of possibilities.

For the Matzke family, it became the fun of creating a living room in a living space. And for that, I carted out (ok, Dan carted out) my vintage couch, an old stereo, the old radio and a few decorations to go with it, including my cute new succulent in a mason jar (thanks Mindy & Ben) and hanging frames. I didn’t need the rug, the woods created a lovely carpet for me.

So that’s the setup. Little miss settled in to the couch, and bam, she had it. That lovely, soft, full-of-intent look I love so much. You can keep your CHEESE any day. Gimme serious, and I love it.

Enter Mr. Spiderman boots. Why of COURSE they can be a part of your outfit. ‘Cause they are awesome.

So during our time in the woods, we trekked into the “forest of doom” to search for a magic walking stick….we looked for fairies in the sunlight, and oh, we got some family pictures as well.

It was fun, magical (for me) and an utter blast. Too bad I’ve left the frames hanging outside since then. Guess I need to go cut those down.

But until then….enjoy these: