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Windsor Castle Park | Smithfield VA Family Session

April 21, 2021

Windsor Castle Park in Smithfield, VA was the backdrop for the Sisman’s family session this weekend. This used to be THE place to go for photo sessions. Photographers and their clients covered every square inch like a swarm of termites as far as the eye could see, haha. And I was one of them. The challenge of avoiding people in the background of the otherwise gorgeous views of Windsor Castle was almost always impossible. Recently, Windsor Castle began requiring a $25 photography pass to reserve a time slot to shoot there. I’m not 100% positive of their reasoning behind it, but admittedly, it was nice to be the only ones there this past Sunday!!

The Sisman’s youngest daughter, Aleyna, is almost 6 months old and they wanted to get some updated family photos since the time is flying by! There may or may not have been a blow out by the ‘half birthday’ girl upon arriving to the park. LOL. You know what though? That’s life! It happens! And I loved their attitude about it. I understand planning your photos, choosing outfits, getting ready, and arriving on time with multiple kids can be stressful. However, some things are out of our control and it’s our attitude about it that decides how the rest of the day will go.

My session with the Sisman’s was incredibly refreshing, relatable, and FUN! Enjoy some of my favorites!

One of my absolute favorites of Sabri and his kids.These sweet faces can make anyone melt! ❤️Emre is the designated go-to person to get his baby sister Aleyna to laugh. Love it!!!I just adore these types of photos. Aleyna was having a moment and that’s ok, but it’s so sweet that her brother continued to hold her and love on her. Sureyya was cracking me up as she was razor focused on the boo-boo she discovered on her knee. These side by side photos are EVERYTHING!!
On the left: Alyson and Sabri wanted to recreate one of their wedding photos that was photographed in this exact spot nearly 10 years ago.
On the right: Later during the session, I asked Emre to give his sister a big hug and this was the result!! How adorable that it nearly mimics their parents’ photo?!? One of Emre’s interests is space so it was adorable when he’d find spray painted gravel and excitedly say ‘It’s an asteroid!!’I like to keep things fun and entertaining for little ones…so when they started losing interest, I whispered for them to go attack mom and dad with tickles!! There are bloopers and gaffes behind the scenes of every one of those family Pinterest photos you’ve pinned. Guaranteed. Although these photos won’t get framed and hung on a wall, they tell a story. These are the beautiful, real life, messy, relatable scenes that all of us experience in parenthood.I LOVE this series of images… so sweet! Love and silliness in it’s purest form. We made a quick stop on Main Street in Smithfield to recreate another one of Alyson and Sabri’s wedding day photos. Traffic was oddly busy that day so the kids were safely still in the car while I snuck in a few extra photos of just the two of them.