A Day on the Lake & Golf Course: Documentary Family Photography in the Blue Ridge Mountains

A boat ride, a little golf, mountain views, and a whole lot of family fun. This was definitely my kind of photo session!

I spent a beautiful afternoon in the Blue Ridge Mountains with Ann Woo Stephenson of Wooed by the Food and her sweet family, documenting some of their favorite ways to spend time together at their mountain house. Ann shares delicious, wholesome recipes made with real ingredients, along with easy meal ideas for busy families. If you’re always looking for new ways to feed your family healthy food without spending all day in the kitchen, you’ll love her recipes! Go check out her website and follow along on Instagram at @wooedbythefood for lots of yummy inspiration and fun content.

Instead of meeting at a pretty overlook and asking everyone to smile for the camera, we made an afternoon of it! The kids played with their dog, Dad helped his little guy with his golf swing, and we hopped aboard a boat for a ride around the lake.

Of course, we snuck in some beautiful family portraits along the way, too.

And that’s what I love about this kind of family photography. We get the pretty pictures, but we also get the story.

Family Photos That Feel Like Your Family

As a mom of four, I know how quickly family life changes. One minute your kids are little enough to climb into your lap, and before you know it, they’re growing into their own people with their own interests, personalities, and ideas about how they want to spend their time.

I love the beautiful portraits where everyone is together, but I also want the photographs of the things you actually do together.

Dad teaching his son something new. Your daughter snuggling the family dog. The way your kids look at you when they’re excited about something. The laughter, the silliness, the little moments that might not seem particularly important right now but will mean so much someday.

Those are the photographs that tell your family’s story.

And the best part? You don’t have to spend the whole session reminding everyone to behave and smile!

An Afternoon of Golf, Boating & Mountain Views

One of my favorite parts of Ann’s family session was how much variety we were able to capture just by following along with their afternoon.

We started with some family portraits surrounded by gorgeous mountain scenery, then let the kids have some fun.

There was a little golf lesson, some running around with their Labrador, and plenty of sweet moments between the kids and their parents.

Then we headed out on the lake!

I love photographing families on the water. There’s something so fun about everyone piling into a boat, feeling the breeze, watching the scenery go by, and just enjoying being together. This is what I remember most from my own childhood. What a gift to have this type of imagery captured on film.

We ended up with a gallery full of beautiful portraits, playful moments, and little pieces of family life that I hope they’ll treasure for years.

Family Photography That Goes Beyond the Traditional Photo Session

One of the things I love most about documentary-inspired family photography is that we can build your session around the things your family already enjoys doing together.

Especially if you have a mountain home or a favorite vacation spot, there are so many ways to make your session feel personal.

Here are a few ideas I’d love to photograph:

• A morning at your mountain home. Pancakes in the kitchen, kids running around in pajamas, coffee on the porch, and a little time enjoying a slow morning together.
• An afternoon at the lake. Spend time on your dock fishing, take the paddleboards out, or relax by the water while the kids play & swim. I’d love to get a photo of everyone jumping into the water. So fun!
• A multigenerational family gathering. Grandparents, cousins, and everyone in between, enjoying a favorite family tradition together, like slicing up watermelon and passing it around. I especially love capturing the relationships between generations.
• A backyard summer evening. Lawn games, chasing fireflies, homemade ice cream, and the kids playing until the last bit of daylight disappears.
• A cozy mountain weekend. Board games, baking together, reading by the fireplace, or just enjoying a rainy afternoon at the cabin.

And maybe your family’s favorite thing isn’t on this list at all. Even better!

I love hearing what makes your family unique and helping you turn those everyday traditions into photographs you’ll want to look back on for years. I truly wish I had more photos like this from my own childhood, and I cherish the few that I do have, thanks to my mom with her camera.

I’d love to document your family fun!

Family Photography at Your Mountain Home or Favorite Getaway

Some of the most meaningful places to photograph your family aren’t necessarily famous landmarks or popular hiking trails.

They’re the places you return to year after year.

Maybe it’s your grandparents’ mountain home, the lake where your kids learned to swim, or the vacation property where everyone gathers each summer. Maybe your family belongs to a country club where you’ve made years of memories together.

I’d love to document those places and traditions for you.

I photograph families throughout the North Carolina mountains, including Highlands, Asheville, Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and the surrounding Blue Ridge communities. I’m especially familiar with the Blue Ridge Parkway and love helping families plan sessions that take advantage of everything this beautiful part of North Carolina has to offer.

For families with access to private properties, lake homes, or country clubs, we can plan a session around the places and activities that are special to you, with any necessary permissions arranged in advance.

Whether you live in the mountains year-round or visit for a few weeks each summer, your family’s story deserves to be documented.

Let’s Make Some Memories in the Mountains!

If you’re dreaming of family photos that feel a little less posed and a lot more like you, I’d love to help you plan something fun.

We can spend an hour exploring a beautiful mountain location or plan a longer adventure that documents an entire afternoon together.

Bring the kids, the grandparents, the dog, and whatever makes your family yours.

We’ll make some memories, and I’ll make sure you have beautiful photographs to remember them by.

Explore my North Carolina family photography sessions and let’s start dreaming up your family’s next adventure!