Family Photos at LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve | St. Charles, IL
There’s a reason LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve is one of my favorite locations for family photos in St. Charles, Illinois. In one session, we can create completely different looks without ever leaving the property from rustic historic buildings and white fences to open prairie, winding paths, wildflowers, and beautiful golden-hour light.
This family session is such a good example of why I love photographing here. We started near the historic buildings while the sky was still a little moody and finished in the prairie as the evening light turned warm and golden.
And instead of spending the entire session standing still and smiling at the camera, we made room for the things that make family photographs feel like your family walking, laughing, piggyback rides, cuddling and just being together.
Why LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve Is Beautiful for Family Photos
One of my favorite things about photographing families at LeRoy Oakes is the amount of variety we can create in a single session.
The historic buildings bring texture and character that you don’t get in a typical forest preserve. Then just a short walk away, everything changes. Tall grasses, wildflowers and open prairie give the photographs a softer, more natural feel.
That variety means your final gallery doesn’t look like 40 versions of the same photograph in the same spot.
Family Photos Should Feel Like Your Family
Yes, I always make sure we get the photograph where everyone is looking at me and smiling.
But I don’t want that to be your entire gallery.
Some of my favorite family photographs happen in between those traditional portraits when your child jumps on Dad’s back, Mom pulls him in for a hug, everyone starts laughing, or I simply give you something to do instead of asking you to stand perfectly still.
Those are usually the photographs that feel the most like you.
A St. Charles Family Photo Location With Plenty of Variety
As we moved away from the historic buildings and into the prairie, this session took on an entirely different look.
This is one of the reasons I recommend LeRoy Oakes to families who want natural outdoor photographs but still want some visual variety. The prairie changes throughout the seasons, and in summer, the tall grasses and wildflowers create an especially beautiful backdrop.
The open landscape also gives kids room to move which is something I intentionally use during family sessions.
What If My Child Doesn't Want to Pose for Family Pictures?
This is one of the questions parents ask me all the time.
My answer is simple: they don’t need to.
After photographing families and children for more than a decade, I’ve learned that trying to force kids through a long list of perfectly posed photographs usually works against us. Instead, I’ll give your family direction when you need it and then create opportunities for genuine interaction.
We’ll walk. We’ll play. I’ll let kids move. And yes, we’ll get the smiling-at-the-camera photographs too.
The goal is a gallery that has both.
Making Time for Mom + Son, Dad + Son and Mom + Dad
A family session isn’t only about getting one great photograph of everyone together.
Whenever time allows, I like to create smaller combinations too. Mom with the kids. Dad with the kids. Siblings together. And yes just Mom and Dad.
Parents are often so focused on documenting their children that photographs of the two of them get pushed aside. I think they’re worth making.
Golden Hour Family Photos at LeRoy Oakes
Then came my favorite part of the evening.
As the sun dropped lower, the light filtering through the trees and tall grasses became warmer and softer. This is why outdoor family sessions are typically scheduled around the best available evening light rather than simply choosing an arbitrary time on the calendar.
The difference shows in the photographs.
What to Wear for Family Photos in St. Charles
This family also did something particularly well with their wardrobe: they coordinated without matching.
Mom’s warm yellow dress adds color against all the green without overwhelming the photographs. Dad’s white shirt keeps his look clean and neutral, while their son’s tan striped shirt ties the warmer tones together.
That’s usually what I recommend for family photos: coordinate your colors rather than putting everyone in identical outfits.
Think about texture, complementary tones and how the clothing will work with your location. Once you’ve booked, I can also help guide you toward clothing choices that photograph beautifully together.
Click here to browse my style guide for wardrobe tips & tricks.
Family Photography at LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve
Toward the end of a session, everyone is usually more relaxed which is exactly what I want.
By this point, kids know I’m not going to spend the entire evening telling them to stand still. Parents stop thinking quite so much about the camera. That’s when we can create some of the easiest, most natural photographs of the session.
Planning Family Photos in St. Charles, Illinois?
If you’ve been putting off family pictures because you’re worried your kids won’t cooperate, you don’t know what to wear, or you don’t know where to go, you don’t have to figure all of that out on your own.
I’ve been photographing families throughout St. Charles, Elgin, Geneva and the surrounding Chicago suburbs for more than a decade, and helping families through the process is part of the experience.
Locations like LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve give us plenty of room to create the traditional family portrait for your wall while also capturing the playful, connected photographs that show what your family feels like right now.
Because kids change far too quickly to wait for the year when everyone magically becomes perfect in front of a camera.