Apple Orchard Photoshoot

Apple Picking at West Oaks Farm

It's a busy time of year for many of us, and sometimes it's hard to squeeze photos in around all the chaos that life brings. I take the least amount of photos of my kids when I'm taking the most of everyone else, which is usually in the fall. But this year we made family time a priority and took the opportunity to take our own boys for some fall fun! Our boys each picked a pumpkin and my personal favorite--APPLES! You know I put them in coordinating outfits and brought my camera along.

I'm really not sure why more photoshoots don't happen at apple orchards! The folks at West Oaks were kind and accommodating and even though it was likely their busiest day of the year, the orchard still didn't feel overcrowded as the boys wandered from tree to tree (and gathered from the ground). They of course took bites out of apples as we gathered them, meaning I had chopping to do as soon as we got home to salvage leftovers. But the memories were priceless! The toddler stage is one of the most difficult to photograph, and one of the ways I keep their attention (thereby slowing them down a bit) and add to the smiles and laughter is to plan an activity and take pictures of them engaged in the process. Potting plants in the spring, playing in the sprinkler or eating watermelon in the summer, picking apples in the fall, playing in the snow or decorating a Christmas tree in the winter. These are when many of the best photos happen! My goal isn't only to capture smiling faces, but happy memories as well.

In case you were curious what an orchard shoot would look like, look at this yummy fuji apple goodness!