Finding Neverland – Poulsbo Storytelling Family Photographer

I’ve been waiting a little to blog this family storytelling session until we got closer to the end of the school year because everything about the session just screams childhood summer magic.

When I initially started talking with Marney about setting up a session for her family she mentioned she wanted to do the shoot in their back yard.  I was really enthusiastic about the idea because I believe location can play a huge role in a photo session and choosing a location that is personally connected to a family always makes a session a bit more special.

Now, I’ll be honest, when Marney mentioned a beautiful backyard I was expecting some fenced in property with well maintained landscaping.  What Marney didn’t explain to me is that the original owner of the house bought an adjacent plot of land to prevent further development so there was a small chunk of forrest in their backyard complete with trees several stories tall, fallen logs covered in bright green moss, and jurassic sized ferns popping out of the ground.  Oh, and they also had beach access via their neighborhood. When I stopped by to take a look at the property a couple weeks before their shoot I first thought was “This looks like Neverland,” and then I kept peeking over my shoulders for a pack of lost boys.

And sure, their backyard was a dream come true but the real magic was watching their three kids roam the property because this clearly is their Neverland.  They were eager to show me all their secret paths and “hideouts” amongst the dense foliage.  We played on the swing set and the zip line.  We had a snack and then headed down to the beach to collect shells and watch the sunset.

Here is an overview of their beautiful and authentic storytelling session.