Family Fun in Folsom

I lived in Folsom for 7 years and for some reason, never spent much time at the lake or the American River. So when Jen suggested we take her family photos along the American River Trail, I was super excited! We met after sunrise on a crisp fall morning... the trail was quiet, the leaves were falling. It was perfect. With the exception of the occasional mountain biker, we had all of this gorgeousness to ourselves.

Jen and Brian have two little boys who are so adorable and just the nicest young men. My only problem was that they were more interested in running around than having their photos taken. But who could blame them? We were in the middle of nature's playground. Thank goodness Jen brought some chocolate as a distraction (mental note: bring candy to every photo session involving children). Their dog was easy - flash a yellow tennis ball and Aspen was an instant statue. Unless we were near water, in which case Apsen was in the water.

Here is a peek into our fabulous morning:

It wasn't easy to get 2 boys and a dog to all look at the camera at once, which is totally okay. Because my favorite photos are those where everyone forgot that the camera was around and were just being themselves. Like these:

Daddy giving pointers on how to skip a rock across the water.

Mommy showing Holden a bird in the sky

A impromptu tickle fight

Gavin demonstrating his mad jumping skills

Aspen chasing a ball in the water

Where's the ball? Where's the ball? Where's the ball?

Showing daddy the way

Have sticks, will travel

One last family photo before heading over to the Rainbow Bridge

Our view from the bridge

Hey... where are you going?

... I need to give you a hug!

Family fun time!

All in all, it was a spectacular morning. Thank you Jen and Brian for asking me to take your photos. Thank you Gavin and Holden for making me laugh all morning long. And thank you Aspen for being such a good dog. You are a beautiful family and so much fun to be around.

For more photos from this session, please visit my Nicole McArthur Photography page on Facebook.