Jarboe Park/ Jacksonville Family Photographer

This family chose to do their local park- Jarboe Park- for the location for family pictures. How special to do a favorite family place for photos. This is the playground they spend the most time at. They play, feed the ducks and walk the trails.

I think this family is amazing and I’m going to tell you some reasons why. When I see posts on social media it’s always about spending time together as a family. When the kids have a sporting event or a birthday at school I see a picture of both parents showing up to support. I love the emphasis on family unity. A few months ago mom shared this Under Armour commercial. It’s become a favorite of mine and I think it embodies this family. They work hard, have lots of goals they are working towards and even better they achieve those goals. I know another reason why she shared the Under Armour commercial is because gymnastics is a pretty big deal in this household.

I asked their talented daughter if she would do a few gymnastics moves for me so I could photograph her. She was doing lots of cartwheels all throughout the session. Both kids are active were quite willing to run around. They did great and we had a lot of fun. The kids chatted with me about Shopkins, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and their family dogs.

We had to hustle because a storm was coming. I can tell mom is a native Floridian because she was so easy going and said let’s keep going. We did get lightly rained on towards the end of the session. The weather definitely keeps things interesting here.

Christmas Card Tip

After the photos were delivered, mom told me about a great deal at Shutterfly for Christmas cards. She then texted me photos of their old Christmas cards and showed me the one for this year. I noticed because she had all the cards laid out next to each other she was able to pick a Christmas card that not only complemented what they were wearing nicely but also different looking than the previous years. What a great idea to look at your old cards while making the new one so you can keep them looking fresh and to make sure it complements what you are wearing.

Continue after the jump to see more of this beautiful family. I had a hard time choosing which ones to share.

Kids need to hear positive affirmation all the time. When you are being photographed your job is just to be present. Mom was telling her daughter that she was her favorite girl and I know it’s true. 

I was curious if we were going to be able to feed the ducks because they were not where I thought they would be. However, as soon as one bird saw a piece of bread they all came.  We were planning on just feeding  a couple of the ducks but as you can see lots of birds came. It was quite overwhelming. I love this daddy daughter moment. Daddy was protecting his girl and he always will.  Of course when you are outside with kids you find treasures everywhere.  I highly recommend Jarboe Park to walk around. Their is a butterfly garden and exercise stations on a picturesque little walk around the ponds. Would you consider doing a family session at a playground?