A BAY AREA BACKYARD FAMILY SESSION

This Bay Area backyard Family session was an extra special one for me. Our kind friends hosted us our final weeks in California. Their warm, wonderful home served as such a source of comfort and happiness (and a whole lotta design inspiration!) during that time. I came to learn that each space was designed with ‘experiences’ in mind. Every sweet corner, and hallway, and meandering garden space had such thought behind it. Niches that encouraged conversation and creativity …. and where honestly, magic would unfold on the daily.

Our second floor guest room was a haven of sorts ~ a whitewashed space with oversized french doors that opened to the sweetest rooftop patio. We could sit there at night with our wine in hand, looking up at the stars and listening to the coyotes in the distance. We could sit there in the morning with our coffee in hand, as we planned our day, listening to the birds and the trickling water fountain below.  Peeking over the rooftop railing, we would look down at the children playing in the warm sun as my friend tended to her overflowing cosmos garden. Her hardworking husband worked off to the left on the beginning stages of the chicken coupe that they had recently designed together.  It was beautiful and peaceful … and grounding … in so many ways.

We would come home those chilly nights to a wood burning fire,  oil-lit candles dotted throughout, jazz swirling about the nooks and crannies, and a cocktail (or two) awaiting. There was homemade bread, and homegrown vegetables and beautiful dinners that my talented friend had so thoughtfully prepared. Walks outside, down the loose-gravel (greenery lined) pathway to the most handsome seating area by the fire, led to cigars under a starlit sky as we chatted about life and love and happenings with a glass of Pinot in hand. 

Right before we left, I asked if I might capture a few images of their family together. While I was confident that I could never adequately repay them for their gracious hospitality, at the very least I hoped to leave them with some tangible reminders of the incredible love they shared. It’s funny how sometimes, something that is so obvious to an outsider, might not be as apparent to those actually living it. I mean they know it, but have they actually seen it? Events and actions (albeit dripping with love) can become lost in the monotony of the day to day. But this certainly was not lost on me. I witnessed this love in all it’s magnitude. A family whose open arms I am so grateful for and whose kindness left such an indelible mark on my heart.  ~ Kent Avenue Photography

Mother & children’s clothing are part of Kent Avenue’s Client Wardrobe available to all our Fine Art clients.

See more of this session featured here on The Fount Collective.