Friesen Family Portraits in Shevlin park

In today’s supremely fast-paced world, finding time to get busy families together feels impossible. Heidi and Daniel Friesen decided to grab a mini family portrait session this fall to capture this fleeting time with their young family. These mini sessions were held at Shevlin Park in Bend, Oregon, a very beautiful and popular spot for family portraits and senior portraits. We lucked out with gorgeous, early fall weather - clear skies, just a hint of autumn in the air, and shockingly, not many people around!

Friesen family at Shevlin Park mini session.

For this family portrait session, Heidi told me she would love to somehow capture the reality of life as it was for them in this moment - chaotic and overwhelming, but also sweet and full of love and new adventures daily. The park was a perfect spot because we could grab a few posed shots of the five of them, and then let the kids play and capture those little magic moments in between.

Delaney and Jonah, the two older kids, were excited to scour the ground to see who could find the biggest stick, then lead the family on a “hike” through the forest. Luca, the newest member of the Friesen clan, loved watching his siblings explore and was full of smiles the whole session. Mom and Dad found some moments to sit back and watch it all unfold, and I was able to get some sweet portraits of just the two of them in the middle of all the action.

All of my family photo sessions are special to me, but this one even more so. I have known Heidi since she was a teenager as her teacher at Bend High. Now, she is my colleague and friend. It was such an honor to be asked to take these precious images for her little family and reflect on what an awesome human she is and always has been. How lucky I am to have these relationships and use photography as a way to capture the beauty I see in each of my subjects.

Here’s to capturing more beautiful family moments and cherishing the connections that make each family special!