fall family session

Lancaster Family Photography: A Sunny Fall Session in the Evergreen Field with the Gehman Family at Lancaster County Park

A fall family photo session at Lancaster County Park by Melissa Engle Photography

I have so many favorite 2020 photo sessions from this field in Lancaster County Central Park. This fall session with the Gehman family is one of my favorites. In the late spring through the end of summer, the field is full of tall wildflowers that change from white to yellow. You can often see deer here in the evenings (and lots of poop evidence of their presence in the grass-ha ha). I think probably the best thing about this field though, is the way the sunlight hits it in the evening. It casts a warm glow through the tall evergreen trees and has become my go to location throughout the seasons because even in the starkness of winter it is lovely. And lately, especially on the weekends, you can often see horses heading out on trails from the parking lot across the street.

This fall family session with the Gehman family was taken at the very end of November. I had so much fun with their two children as they frolicked through this field and raced and romped. They had no trouble warming up to me and the camera and were happy to play while I took photos. I always try to make my family sessions with young kids about play because I think it is so important in capturing their personalities and helps them to relax. When parents are stiff and strict and yelling at their kids to sit still and smile, they often want to do just the opposite or they look unhappy and smiles are not genuine.

As you will see from the photos below, these kiddos were right up in the camera, and mom and dad were happy to play along. I think the reason this session gives me all the feels is because it does a great job of portraying my favorite elements to capture in my work: joy, movement and color!


Melissa Engle Photography offers portrait, family and lifestyle photography in Lancaster, York and Harrisburg PA. Please contact me if you would like to make some photo magic together!

Lancaster Family Photography: The Edwards Fall Family Session at Long's Park

A fall family photo session at Long’s Park in Lancaster, PA by Melissa Engle Photography

One of the things I hear so many parents say when considering a photo session is “my kids never sit still, how will we get good photos?”. Well I am here to tell you that you do not have to sit still for a photo session with me! I firmly believe that the best, most genuine expressions of joy and wonder come from allowing kids to just be themselves. Sometimes it’s the art of distraction (Elmo always comes along with me), sometimes it’s about creating a game that kids will enjoy like ring-around-the-rosie or holding hands and having a race. One of my favorites, especially for fall, is using a blanket to create a hammock swing or a parachute for the kids to run under.

Yes, I know that every family wants at least one good photo with everyone smiling and looking at the camera and I always do my best to capture that image; however, when you book a session with me you will see that the majority are candid, interactive photos. My favorite photographs tend to be the ones that capture moments and allow kids’ personalities to shine. I have two children of my own and so far it rings true that “they grow up fast” and as a stay-at-home-mom I am constantly documenting our days. My favorite photos are almost always the ones where they are interacting with me or one another.

For this session with the Edwards family, their two very active boys loved popping bubbles, swinging in the blanket and racing through the grass. Mom and Dad may or may not have bribed them with gummy worms a few times too…On the day of this session at the end of September, the fall leaves were just starting to show their color. Enjoy the fun family photos below.

Melissa Engle Photography offers portrait, family and lifestyle photography in Lancaster, York and Harrisburg PA. Please contact me if you would like to make some photo magic together!


Lancaster Family Photography: A Vibrant Fall Family Session at Landis Woods Park

A light filled fall family photo session in the fall at Landis Woods Park in Manheim Township.

I love it when I leave a family photo session where I can’t wait to get home and go through the photos. This was one of those sessions. The light was perfect and though the fall colors were starting to fade, we still captured some vibrant golden beauty. More importantly, the kids were happy and we even did a little dancing as well as leaf play towards the end.

They say that the third time is the charm and in this case it was! We had to reschedule this photo session twice due to rain and had talked about a different location, but I’m so glad we settled on Landis Woods Park. I have not done many photo sessions at Landis Woods, though I remember going for a hike there when my husband and I were dating. Along with a really interesting environmental center building, there are some lovely paths in the forest that are great for a short hike. It was the perfect secluded forest location for a fall family photo shoot and not overrun with other photo shoots happening at the same time (like many of the local parks are during the fall).

I have been photographing the Miller family since Candice and Shawn got engaged. Candice and I even went to college together at Messiah College (though our paths did not cross until we both moved to Lancaster post college and were attending the same church). Our kids are the same ages and so I can relate to the stage of life they are in right now. Candice is a family doctor and though she is not my doctor, she has always been there when I have needed medical advice. Shawn is a realtor with Berkshire Hathaway in Lancaster and I’ve photographed a few of his listings over the years (yes I dabble in real estate photography too!). So if you need a doctor or a realtor, you should look these two up!

Melissa Engle Photography offers portrait, family and lifestyle photography in Lancaster, PA. Please contact me if you would like to make some photo magic together!