Hutchinson Island beach portraits: sneaking around to create mom’s favorite gift
Do men book portrait sessions?
Yes! I've noticed this happening more in the last few years as a portrait photographer in Stuart, Florida. I love it when I get a call from a man! To me it shows a lot about how much they value their relationships.
For this session, I got a call from the dad--his wife had said she really wanted special portraits of their kids, something they hadn't done much through the years. But now time was running short--all three were young adults. Plus, we needed to hurry because the kids were heading back to college soon.
So the dad, Peter, made time in his schedule to quickly meet with me to brainstorm all the details and make a plan. Then he got the clothes figured out and the kids (and the dog) to Stuart Beach for the session within a few days. I was so impressed!
On her birthday that next weekend, his wife, Christina, found out why they had all quietly disappeared one afternoon earlier in the week. (She had been busy with a Zoom call in her home office and then noticed they were all gone!)
"On that Saturday, we were out celebrating my birthday and he gave me something to open," Christina said. "It was your brochure. Then he told me what they had done and he even showed me a photo he took of you taking their photos at Stuart Beach. I was so surprised!"
A few days later, both mom and dad came into my Stuart gallery to choose their favorites as I projected them on the big screen. Then I created a beautiful album and a wall portrait that fits their space and decor perfectly.
When we went to the house to install her wall portrait, Christina was thrilled.
“Oh my gosh, it’s beautiful. It’s gorgeous,” she said as she wiped away tears. “I love the frame. I think it’s perfect in that space.”
"That is a fabulous place for the canvas. You walk in and you see it," she said. "Part of me thinks something that big should be in the living room. But nobody lives there. This is where we live. This is where I'm going to see it everyday."
When she looked through the album, Christina said, "It's gorgeous. Perfect. This just became my new favorite coffee table book."
"The other two are pretty easy to capture," she said. "But my older son is difficult to capture in a photo. He did good with you though! He doesn't usually have the patience for things like that, but he actually looks like he's enjoying himself with you."
"I love their smiles so much!" she said. "They're natural. That's what my kids look like."
As a family portrait photographer, it feels so good to help parents like this! We have all experienced trying to take photos of our own kids and how their smiles either disappear or become stiff and unnatural as we point the camera at them.
When your kids are photographed by me, it's a different story. (I call it the Teacher Effect, like when your kids were well-behaved at school, but not so much when they got home with you.)
Peter, the one who came up with the gift idea, told me he has no regrets and is so glad he made that first phone call to me.
"I liked the conversation we had and I liked the way you explained your process and what you did," he said. "You were the only one that had what I looked for in the experience and would create the portraits for me."
"And the book's got huge portrait-sized pictures in there!" he said. "I wish the guy who did photography for our anniversary party had done something like that. He did nothing. He just gave us the the digital photos, and he said, here, print them. And that was it."
I am so glad I could help Christina and Peter by creating portraits of their kids that truly capture who they are. Every day they walk by the canvas and once in a while, they sit on the couch and enjoy their coffee table book of portraits. As the years go by, these portraits of their young adult kids will become more and more cherished.
Next on the agenda for them--a family portrait!
P.S. If you're a dad, have you considered a gift like this? If you're a mom, think how happy your husband would be to give you a gift you will really love. (And how glad he will be to be given an idea that makes it easy for him!) Contact me if you would like to brainstorm together. 😊
Just fill out this form and I will reach out to you!
For 20+ years as a family portrait specialist on Florida’s Treasure Coast, I have been known for relaxed portrait sessions at locations around Stuart, Palm City, Hutchinson Island, Hobe Sound, Fort Pierce, Vero Beach and all areas in between. I am not like most photographers these days because I believe your family deserves to be celebrated each day, as part of your home decor. When you work with me, we will collaborate in creating Fine Art Portraits of your family, which will live on your walls or in a custom-designed album or folio box and be remembered as one of the best investments you have ever made. In addition to creating portraits for families, I create headshots and personal branding images for business use. To learn more, go the the Dultmeier Photography homepage.