Best of 2024: My favorite portraits from this year’s Rose Garden family portrait sessions

This year, I found the most beautiful location in Schenectady for family portraits: the Central Park Rose Garden. If you’ve been around the blog in the last few months, you probably saw how many times I visited this summer. I loved every single one and I’m so excited to be sharing my favorite portraits from all of those sessions today! This is such a beautiful spot for family photos, especially June through October. I hope that this post convinces you to consider having your family session here next year! I plan to offer exclusive dates for family photos here next year, which I can’t wait to share more about soon!! 

Like I said, the garden is always gorgeous - but from June to October, it’s stunning. Roses are staggered to bloom all season long so that you always have a burst of color and fresh roses. Every family that came to the rose garden had a moment of awe when they first glimpsed the beauty there, and they all said to me, “I never knew this was here!” It’s truly a hidden gem. 

While your family’s connections and authentic joy will always be the most important thing for me to capture in your portraits, a beautiful location never hurts! I can’t wait to plan exclusive dates for next year’s family sessions, and I hope you’ll be joining us! In the meantime, enjoy scrolling through my favorite moments from this year’s sessions, and start dreaming about what your family’s portraits might look like, too!! 

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Rose Garden Sibling & Family Portrait Session with Schenectady Family Photographer

I loved photographing another family portrait session at the beautiful Central Park Rose Garden in Schenectady this summer! And what a treat it was to photograph this family once again! Over the past year, I’ve had the pleasure of visiting this garden from spring through early fall, and it has been so fun to watch the blooms transform through the seasons. For this session, in late summer, the garden was vibrant with color, offering the perfect backdrop for Nicole and her family’s portrait session.

This family has been longtime clients of mine, and it’s always such a joy to capture their portraits year after year. The kids, Elli and Colton, have grown up in front of my camera, and they just get more adorable each time! Nicole always does an incredible job coordinating the family’s outfits—each session looks effortlessly polished and timeless. I especially loved this session’s outfits - particularly her pink dress. The kids and her husband’s outfits all coordinated around her gown. They all looked amazing! 

While the kids played (and even hugged each other without a fight for me!), we found plenty of spots throughout the garden to mix up the portraits. The Rose Garden really works well for portraits - providing options like the lush rose beds and quiet nooks surrounded by greenery. This session truly highlighted the beauty of summer and the sweet connection this family shares. I can’t wait to see them again soon!

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Rose Garden Portraits with Toddlers in Schenectady

I absolutely loved this gorgeous session at the Central Park Rose Garden in Schenectady! This is definitely my new favorite location from the summer and I’m thrilled I had the chance to host another family here. Although it’s a drive from Saratoga Springs, I 100% believe it’s worth the time and effort. Roses bloom from June to September in every single color imaginable and it’s truly a beautiful backdrop for special moments. This family’s portraits were a dream come true! 

For this session, I got to work with two little boys and their parents. Cole is 4 and his little brother, Chase, is 1.5. Both boys are full of their own personalities and I loved watching them come out in front of the camera as they got more comfortable. They were also so sweet together - hugging and enjoying their time with mom and dad around the gardens.  

Young toddlers are always tricky during a portrait session because they never sit still for long, but we play games and keep everything moving to keep them engaged and happy in their portraits, plus lots of breaks and snacks help, too. I’ve been doing this for many years, and have two littles of my own, so I definitely bring a lot of experience - and patience - to my family sessions. I’m all about letting your little ones lead so that they can feel comfortable and confident. It really changes the atmosphere so that your portraits are more enjoyable and relaxed. When you choose a family photographer, particularly with young children, look for one with the experience and patience you know you'll need! 

Thank you again to this wonderful family for spending the evening with me at the Central Park Rose Garden. It was so much fun (and I love all of the pink and tan palette you chose to complement the blooms) and I hope that you did too! 

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Rose Garden Family Portraits with Saratoga Springs Family Photographer

I am so excited to be sharing this beautiful family portrait session at the Central Park Rose Garden in Schenectady with you! This was my first session here and it’s truly an absolute hidden gem of a location!!! I will definitely be back - it’s certainly become one of my top 5 favorite locations in the Capital Region! A huge thank you to this darling family for exploring this gorgeous garden with me! 

Honestly, I couldn’t have asked for a better spot for this summer family portrait session. There were roses everywhere - in every color imaginable. The blooming season lasts from June to October, so we were graced with plenty of blooms. For this session, I spent a lot of time in the red and white roses. They were just so pretty! But, the bottom line is that the Central Park Rose Garden offers a true variety that means you have even more options for your family portrait session! 

This family is simply the sweetestI loved getting to laugh and explore with mom, dad, Bradley, Savannah and Jules. All three kids were amazing for me - willing to play and enjoy our time together. Having all of my fun prompts and games ready to pull out during our sessions is always a great backup, but these three were naturals! I also really loved the color palette and outfits that mom chose. Her blue dress is definitely one of my favorites so far this year! The girls wore cute pink dresses - complimentary but not matching. Bradley and his dad rounded out the look with their button downs. All five outfits looked amazing among the roses and greenery of the gardens. Beautiful options! 

I hope that this family enjoys their summer portraits for years to come. They’re so beautiful and I can’t wait to see how you choose to display them in your home! 

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Family Portrait Session at Jackson's Garden in Schenectady

I’ve got another gorgeous fall session for you today! Jennifer and her beautiful family met me at Jackson’s Garden in Schenectady for their portraits this year. It was my first time set this location - another local photographer friend recommended it to me. I’m so glad we decided to go here! There were tons of gorgeous fall colors for us to play with.

Jennifer was ready to update her family portraits (and beautiful wall art) now that their little girl, Annabelle has turned 1. How cute is she with her little ponytail and first teeth coming in?! The Strange family also brought their sweet pup to our portraits and we had a lot of fun getting him to pose with the family. We captured some beautiful moments that will look perfect in an heirloom album for this family - or some stunning wall art. Picking out products with my families is almost as much fun was capturing their portraits!!

Thinking about bringing your dog to your session?

I’m all about bringing your furry family members to your session. Over the years, I’ve learned a few tricks to make everything run a little more smoothly for all of us. Before your session, take your dog for a walk so they’re more tired during our portraits. Consider switching out your leash to a neutral color (like this family, who swapped a bright orange leash for a brown one).

Make sure you bring treats for your pet and ask a friend or family member to come be the designated dog wrangler/watcher. This ensures you can focus on your session and time together during the human portraits! ;o) I’ve worked with tons of dogs and one of my favorite ways to keep our portraits together stress-free is to work around the dog, much like I do with kids! We’ll plan to sit and stand around where your pup decides they want to be. It’s much easier that way!

Tips for a meltdown-free session with kids!

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