Fall Session at Ledyard Sawmill Park

I can’t believe is December already. Technically, it’s still Fall, but it definitely feels like Winter when you go outside and feel the cold air and see the snow in the ground. This Fall season has been beautiful and there were plenty of places with beautiful foliage to do a Fall family session.

One of those places is the Ledyard Sawmill Park, one of the few remaining sash sawmills in North America. The Ledyard Sawmill Park started operating in 1877 under the direction of Israel Brown, the owner and builder. Eventually, the sawmill passed onto the hands of Harry C.W. Main, and stayed open and operating until 1938 when it was damaged by a hurricane. It sat unused until the town of Ledyard purchased it in 1966. The sawmill reopened in 1975 after it was restored. It is currently operated by volunteers that demonstrate to visitors how the more than a century old technology works http://www.ledyardsawmill.org/history/history-timeline.

With so much history and beauty, the Ledyard Sawmill Park was the perfect place for this gorgeous family’s session. The foliage, the pond, the sawmill, and the dam that helps power the sawmill serve as beautiful backgrounds.

As a Connecticut lifestyle photographer, I treasured the opportunity of capturing special moments for each and every family that I meet. I enjoyed so much seeing this smart and beautiful girl interacting with her awesome brother, seeing how much she and her mom love each other, and the love that her parents demonstrate to each other.

I feel lucky to have witnessed and captured so many beautiful moments of this family. And I’m happy to know that they can treasured these moments forever.

Fall Session at Gillette Castle State Park

Fall is a wonderful season that shows us how splendid and magnificent nature is. This is the season when all our senses get put to work with the beautiful sights of leaves changing colors, the feeling of the crisp air in the morning, and the tastes of apple deserts, and pumpkin drinks and dishes. Fall is also perfect for family sessions. The orange, red, and yellow colors on the leaves serve as a beautiful background along with the many beautiful places that we are lucky to have here in Connecticut.

One of those beautiful places is Gillette Castle State Park. A medieval looking castle located in East Haddam and that served as the residence of William Gillette. When Gillette died he left direct instructions that requested that the property didn’t fall into the hands "of some blithering saphead who has no conception of where he is or with what surrounded." (source) Hopefully, he would have been pleased knowing that his property is enjoyed and appreciated by many including me. So no blithering saphead here.

With so much beauty and history, Gillette Castle makes the perfect place for Fall family portraits. I had the wonderful opportunity of meeting this beautiful mom and daughter and taking her portraits with her family.

It was so much fun to photograph such a wonderful family. During a session, I love to capture the personality of all the family members, specially the kids. This little girl is adorable and she had so much love to give to her mom, her grandparents, and her uncle. She’s got such a beautiful smile, and her curiosity and laughter was contagious. Below are some of my favorites from this session.