As soon as I pulled into Buffalo Park in Flagstaff, it started sprinkling.
Of course it was going to rain when the weather forecast said absolutely nothing about rain.
I grabbed my umbrella from the car and prepared myself for whatever Flagstaff had planned for us. But as soon as this family pulled into the parking lot, the sprinkles disappeared. The clouds stayed, but honestly, they gave us a completely different kind of beautiful for their Buffalo Park family photos.
There were no sunlit tips along the grass or flowers that evening. Instead, the clouds created soft, even light across the park. We could photograph in almost any direction without worrying about harsh sunlight, squinting or finding the perfect pocket of shade.
The finished photographs still feel warm, rich and colorful, but they also look true to what the evening actually felt like. Soft skies, green fields, summer wildflowers and the mountains surrounding Flagstaff.
Summer Family Photos at Buffalo Park
Buffalo Park is one of my favorite places for summer photos in Flagstaff, Arizona. The open fields become green, wildflowers appear throughout the landscape and the mountains create a beautiful backdrop that feels completely different from Phoenix.
I always tell my Phoenix families that up north is where it’s at for summer photos.
While the temperatures in Phoenix can make outdoor sessions difficult, Flagstaff offers cooler evenings and a landscape filled with tall pine trees, open meadows and seasonal greenery. It gives families the opportunity to enjoy outdoor summer photos without feeling like they are melting five minutes after stepping out of the car.
Buffalo Park also offers a lot of variety within one location. We can use the open field and mountain views, move closer to the trees or photograph among the rocks and tall grass. When the wildflowers are blooming, they add even more color and texture without taking attention away from the people in the photographs.
Watching Baby Girl Grow
Memories by Candace has had the pleasure of photographing this family a few times now. One of my favorite parts of working with returning families is getting to watch their children grow and become more comfortable with me.
The last couple of times I photographed baby girl, she wasn’t completely sure what she thought about the camera or the person behind it. That is perfectly normal, especially for babies and younger children who need a little time to decide whether this whole photo thing sounds like a good idea.
This time, she was barely over a year old and full of smiles.
It was almost like she looked at me and thought, “Oh, I’ve done this a few times now. I know what’s happening.”
She smiled, played with Mom and Dad, explored the flowers and gave us so many sweet expressions. Because I already knew the family, we could settle into the session quickly and focus on their connection instead of expecting baby girl to perform for the camera.
Those natural smiles came from letting her interact with the people she feels safest with.
A Short Essential Family Session in Flagstaff
This family chose an Essential Session, which is my shorter session option. I was already in Flagstaff for a graduation session afterward, so the timing worked perfectly for us to fit in a quick family update beforehand.
Even though this was a shorter session, we captured a beautiful variety of photographs. We photographed the whole family together, Mom and baby girl, Dad and baby girl, and plenty of playful moments among the wildflowers.
Short sessions can work beautifully for returning families, especially when the child already recognizes me and the parents know what to expect. We didn’t need a long warm-up period this time. Baby girl arrived ready to smile, and we made the most of every minute we had together.
A Cloudy Day Can Still Be Beautiful
Photographers love golden sunlight, but every session does not need to look exactly the same to be beautiful.
The clouds at Buffalo Park gave this gallery a softer feeling. The greens remained natural, the wildflowers added rich color and the family stood out beautifully against the landscape. Instead of trying to make the evening look sunnier than it was, I wanted the photographs to reflect the soft and peaceful atmosphere we actually experienced.
That is part of photographing families outdoors. The weather may change, the light may surprise us and Flagstaff may sprinkle when the forecast insists it will not. We work with what the day gives us and create something beautiful from it.
As a Phoenix family photographer, I love traveling north during the summer for family, senior and graduation photos. Buffalo Park gives my Phoenix clients the chance to escape the heat while still receiving the warm, colorful and emotion-filled photographs they expect from Memories by Candace.
And on this particular cloudy evening, we got soft mountain views, summer wildflowers and one very happy little girl who finally decided that having her picture taken might be pretty fun after all.