When I do family sessions, my top choice is that they have a lifestyle feel, so when Laura contacted me wanting just that I was all in.

Matt and Laura own Castlen Steel in town and wanted to document a little of their family session there, not just because it’s their business, but it’s where they spend a lot of their time and where their kids are growing up.

My dad was(is) a pipeliner and I spent my childhood playing on tank farms running between the giant vats that hold crude oil, I would’ve loved to have photos of our family documented like that—as we were, so it extra tugged at my heart to see Matt and Laura wanting the gritty everyday worked into their session.

Next, we went to their home to finish up their session. Unlike my home, they don’t have cows grazing down their pastures, so theirs were so nice, tall and gorgeous! You couldn’t really see it in the photos above, but you will see it in these.

Right before their session Abram—dressed and ready for photos—was hanging with his Grandpa. Grandpa gives Abram a can of green spray paint. Abram does what any small child (and a lot of adults) with a can of spray paint will do… Sprays himself.

So minutes before session time, Laura finds her John Deere green covered overalls. Most moms, if they hadn’t made their child run and change clothes, would’ve asked me to Photoshop this out. Laura just kinda shrugged her shoulders about it and told me “this is so typical.”

And you know what, I actually think the fact that Abram has green spray paint on him, makes these images more real life. We tend to get so focused on perfection we remove who we are as people from our photos. Who they are as a family is a little gritty and I think these images tell that story. Thank you Laura for keeping the character of y’all in your session!