Alderlea Family photos for this young family of three

While living in Brampton for over 8 years, I never had the chance to do Alderlea family photos. Alderlea is a historic house located in downtown Brampton. It is full of unique features and offers indoor as well as outdoor paid options for photographers as well as other clients. I have regularly photographed right next door in Gage Park or in the houses surrounding it. However, I have never actually had a session at Alderlea. Just as the famous saying goes ‘good things come to those who wait’ so was the case for me. We did not originally plan to take Alderlea family photos however, we ended up finishing with my favourite photos at this beautiful location. Originally, Siobhan and I planned to take their family photos in Gage Park. It was super convenient as it was only a two-minute walk from their house. Oh but wait! First, let me begin by telling you how I got to know this lovely couple.

How did we get to these Alderlea family photos?

The very first time I met Siobhan and David was at their family photos with their extended family. In 2012, Mara, Siobhan’s sister, had booked me for a large family session at Hilton Falls Conservation Area. We had a lovely time working with their parents, both sisters, and their families. At that time, Siobhan and David were only dating.

Fast forward to four years later when I was honoured to be asked to document Siobhan and David’s wedding. Their ceremony and reception were at one of my favourite locations, the Millcroft Inn and Spa in Alton. Here is their full wedding blog post with photos.

Since the wedding, I have also photographed Siobhan’s sister Mara and her family at their property as well as at Gage Park. The two sisters live just a couple of houses away from each other. Did I mention that Mara and Siobhan were both married to two brothers as well? What a great family bond! I couldn’t imagine being any better related.

Introducing the new addition

During the time between their wedding and this session, Siobhan, David, and one of my favourite dogs, Dude, were busy. They were all in Scotland for post-education studies. Now, after arriving back home, they started to plan and create their own family.

Siobhan was so excited to tell me about little A and their good news. She wanted to schedule a photo session to celebrate the new arrival. Due to the COVID-19 situation, we decided to work exclusively outdoors for this Alderlea family photo session. In Fall, it can be challenging to work with a baby outdoors. There is the potential for chilly temperatures, wind and rain. However, this little family of three rose to the occasion and were very flexible to work with.

Backyard photos with Dude the dog

We began their session with some photos in the backyard. The family dog, Dude, gently reminded me that he was watching me and I had better be good to them. The session was around 5 pm. Considering this was in October, it was a bit late considering the light available at this time of year.

However, making the most of the day, I decided to work with available light and a wide-open aperture. I knew that we had to move fast in order to arrive at the other location, we quickly wrapped up the backyard photos. We moved towards Gage Park where we were going to take their family photos.

Photos by pure luck at Alderlea historical house

During our walk to the park, we took a few shortcuts to quickly arrive at a truly awesome location. At the time, I was not sure what the place was called as we were at the back of the house and I couldn’t see the name.

It was here that we had the perfect photo session scenario. The golden hour had arrived, Siobhan, David and little A were relaxed, and we were able to take some really amazing photos. We achieved many different combinations of these young parents with their little one. Of course, Dude was also a part of almost all of these photos, just like one on their wedding day too.

Towards the end of the session, I realized that I actually knew this house. It was one that I had previously seen and had wanted to photograph but had never ended up doing it. These Gage Park photos now had a new name. Now they were Alderlea family photos of this young family.

Fall photos of a young family at Alderlea in Brampton

Relaxed and easy-going family

Once we were done at Alderlea, we figured out that there was little time left for photos in Gage Park. However, it’s not that we wanted to be finished. Not at all, actually! Siobhan and David have always been such a pleasure to work with. They are naturally a very relaxed and super flexible couple. However, the light was completely gone and little A was getting hungry too. Making note of this, I prepared to give them the last portrait for this session.

I positioned the family on a park bench, protected by Dude, and encouraged them to interact with one another. During those last moments of this Alderlea family photo session, I used a full documentary-style approach to capture the joy of this new mother and proud dad supported by their family dog.

Right after, Siobhan quickly took little A ahead to feed her at home while David walked back with me to their place.

Working with past clients

As I’ve mentioned before, working with my past clients over the last 11 years has truly been a treasure. I am so happy to reconnect over and over again and am extremely proud to be able to continue to capture their new lifetime memories.

With babies growing so quickly, I look forward to our next session with Siobhan, David, and their little one. Maybe even next year in October, so that we can celebrate 10 years working together!