This weekend I photographed the Backus family in Peachtree City, Georgia. I’ve known Ben and Sandee’s daughter Jennifer since I was in college. We have become the closest of friends over the years and ours is a special bond. About a month ago Jennifer asked if I would drive to Peachtree City to surprise her mom, Sandee, with a photo session of all the family for her 70th birthday. Everyone was driving in from all over to surprise her! I was so excited she asked me because I love this family and have lots of fond memories with them.
I had gotten word on my way to the session Saturday afternoon, that everyone wanted to stay at the house for the session and not move to a location, and one child was overdue for a nap! So, it was game time and I had to work quickly! As soon as I arrived I began scouting for a shady spot with enough room for 19 people in the picture! Yes, I did say 19! If any of you have ever been to Peachtree City, you know it has golf cart paths everywhere. I had gone for runs on the golf cart path behind the Backus’ house in years past, so that’s where I headed because the front and back yards were way too sunny! I discovered that the path would work and had some beautiful indirect light streaming in through the trees. The only kink in my plan was golf cart traffic, but we managed to not get run over!
After our session, Jennifer and I went shopping at this fabulous boutique around the corner! If you are ever in Peachtree City you MUST check out Lizard Thicket!! They have THE best clothes (think SOCA) and THE best prices (think Francesca’s)! Let’s just say if there was a store here in Birmingham I would be in some serious trouble. http://www.shoplizardthicket.com/index.html
When Jennifer and I returned from our long shopping trip, we found all of the grandkids doing what the Backus family refers to as “Georgia sleddin” in the front yard. In the Backus’ front yard there is a steep hill with lots of juniper, so the kids grab cardboard boxes and go down it for a ride! They were having the best time, so I grabbed my camera and snapped a few more shots. You’ll see those at the end, along with a few of the teary “goodbyes” as Susan’s family had to head back to Birmingham to catch a flight back to Utah.
Okay, enough of my rambling. I can’t help it. Like I said, I love this family! Here are the photos…
- Matt grabbed my camera and snapped a shot of Jennifer and me at the end. We always have pictures of our kids together, but none of us. So glad to now have one for the mudroom board of fame!
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