The Maynard Family at Garden of the Gods | Family Session

(I always get a few standard posed pics for the family back home! I call this, “The Mantlepiece Pic,” or “The Christmas Card.”)

My good friend and fellow Colorado Springs photographer, Alexus of Alexus M. Photography, messaged me and said she wanted some updated photos of her family at one of the most well-known parks in the area: the Garden of the Gods.

So, we set a date, and the weather happened to be perfect! This photo session took place in early spring, so the park wasn’t totally green yet, and I loooooove how all the soft colors turned out.

The golden hour light was really popping off for our session, making everything look radiant and magical.

We kept their daughter busy by having her run around collecting rocks and sticks for us. Sometimes, you need to get all that energy out! It also provided me with some great opportunities for candid pics that captured her sweet wildness at this age. ❤️

And of course, while the kids were preoccupied, I had to snag a few couples photos while the lighting was just right. (Umm, how incredible are their tattoos?! I’m obsessed with these.)

As the sun was beginning to dip behind the red rocks, we began our journey to the second spot on our list. It was a bit of a hike, but we couldn’t resist stopping along our route when we saw that, miraculously, no one else was on the trail with us!

We made it to our second spot just after sunset, when the light was perfectly cool and diffused. The little ones were starting to feel a bit tired (understandably), so we decided to split up and get a few final one-on-one pics with each parent.

This family photo session at Garden of the Gods was one of my absolute favorites during spring. The soft, muted colors and beautiful light were perfection, but this adorable little family reminded me why it’s so important to document these moments before they pass us by.