Filoli Gardens in Woodside, California is one of the places I keep coming back to. The wisteria arbors, the cherry blossoms just starting to let of their petals, the reflecting pool that turns into a mirror when the light hits it right, it's just one of my favorite garden in the Bay Area.
I met with this sweet couple on a spring afternoon, right as the garden was in full bloom. She wore a rust-orange maxi dress that felt like it was made for this exact place. He kept it classic in a navy suit and two of them together and two of them together with brick pathways and blossoms were the perfect combination.
Where We Started
We started under one of the big, sprawling trees near the estate, letting them settle in before we moved anywhere else. There's always a moment at the start of the session where everyone is a little stiff, a little unsure where to put their hands and then something clicks, usually somewhere around the third of fourth frame and suddenly they are just them again. Forehead to forehead. Hands resting on the bump. From there we wandered the brick steps by the estate house, tulips just barely peeking out along the railing, and into the long garden paths where the light was doing that soft, dappled thing through the trees.
The Wisteria and the Blossoms
Honestly, this is the part of Filoli that stops me in my tracks every single visit. The wisteria arbor was draped and heavy, and standing underneath it with the two of them, I didn't have to direct much of anything — the space does the work. A few steps later, we found ourselves under a canopy of cherry blossoms in full pink bloom, and it was the kind of backdrop that makes a rust-colored dress look like it was color-matched on purpose.
We spent a good stretch of time here, moving slowly between poses — some close and quiet, some with a little more movement, her dress catching the breeze while blossom petals drifted down around them.
A Few Favorites
If I had to pick just a handful of images that capture this session, it would be the wisteria arbor portraits, the pink baby shows, awaiting for the moment of almost there. But really, every frame from this session feels like a keepsake, a kind of gallery to look back on for years.
Thank you both for trusting me with this chapter. I can't wait to see this family again in the future.
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