I’ve been looking forward to this session all month! My sweet photographer friend Joni and her family joined me at the Columbia River Gorge last week and I’m just in love with these photos. Taking family photos with teens can be tough, but these siblings had promised mom family photos as her Mother’s Day gift, so everyone was on board! (PS, teens, this is a FABULOUS idea!)

We aimed for a good mixture of traditional posed photos and some more candid ones that included the epic scenery because I know mom had some wall art plans for these photos. I think photos that incorporate the landscape make really wonderful ones for printing LARGE for a statement on your wall.

I was so excited that Joni was bringing their dog. If you’ve followed along, you know I LOVE family photos with dogs. This one was no exception, and I totally loved how Joni picked up a coordinating leash for Molly the pup on their way to the session. This helps it complement everyone’s outfits and blend seamlessly no matter what the dog is doing. How cute is it that Molly was small enough to curl up in mom’s arms??

Family photos with teens, especially ones made for a Mother’s Day gift, have to include a special photo with mom. I love these–we had enough time to do some larger, pulled back ones of this sweet moment of mom and her kids.

As always, photos of just the parents are a must-have in my book. Especially when we get THIS!

Joni, I hope this Mother’s Day gift was everything you’d hoped for!

SEE MORE COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE FAMILY PHOTO SESSIONS HERE