My favorite sessions are always the ones that take me out of the comfort of the typical photoshoot location. Although I love in-home sessions and park sessions, nothing is better when a location has a special meaning for your family. This particular session took place in a cloister garden of the church this family attends every Sunday, followed by some walking around Park Avenue.

The cloister garden of this church was nothing sort of magical. It was peaceful, had lots of greenery and had enough space for the kids to run around as well as a variety of little spaces to photograph. I couldn’t have asked for a better location for a family photo shoot.

As a photographer, it is my job to engage the kids and make them comfortable in front of the camera. Most kids start out being shy or run away or simply don’t want to cooperate. But, guess what?! That is the beauty of being a child! I let the kids run the sessions so to speak. Of course, I am in control, but I do not force any child to smile or do something that they do not want to do. I start of my sessions introducing myself to the kids, playing with them, making jokes, and getting the parents involved while capturing them with my camera.

After we were done photographing inside the garden we went for a walk on Park Avenue. We got lucky as it is not a busy area of NYC during the weekend, as it mostly known for corporate offices. The streets were pretty empty and the kids got to run around while I captured them with the statuesque Manhattan in the background.

Bellow are some of my favorite photos from this special shoot.