I last saw Theodore in his home in Jersey City for a sweet, relaxed lifestyle in home newborn session. This beautiful family and I were supposed to meet for portraits much earlier than this past fall, but, you know: 2020. Luckily, we made up for lost time by having the BEST time possible in Liberty State Park in November. I loved how much free space Theodore had to run around there. Family portraits with an active toddler can be tricky, tough even, but not in a large, outdoor space like this. The gorgeous views of New York City, and gorgeous golden hour light didn’t hurt either. By allowing Theodore to do play and explore, we created a happy toddler keen to snuggle and giggle.

Let’s talk about that light. Wow. With tons of open sky, but almost no trees to filter sunlight through, Liberty State Park is the place for contrasty, bright light (which I happen to love) AND a soft, warm glow as the sun goes down. To ensure the softest light during a family and baby photography session in an outdoor New Jersey park, it is key to meet about one hour prior to sunset. For this photo session, we met a touch earlier to accommodate Theodore’s schedule and it worked out wonderfully; I love bright, contrasty light, and I also knew this location has quite a few spots with open shade that would provide soft, lovely light, even before we officially entered golden hour.

I absolutely can’t wait to see this NJ family again later this year for the last photography session of their Portrait Membership.