When in doubt, go to Token Creek County Park
I've done a couple photoshoots at Token Creek County Park now, and it's definitely a wonderful resource to have so close to Madison. There's an abundance of space, so you basically won't have to worry about running into other people. There's many trails to choose from, including one with a boardwalk and bridge. Plus, there were SO MANY wildflowers when I visited this time around. I also loved that there were giant open fields with trees in the background. Keep reading to see how we utilized all these spaces for this senior photoshoot!
We started at the boardwalk.
I knew as soon as I saw this boardwalk that we HAD to use it. When you take pictures in a natural space, it can be difficult to create variety. Finding features like this in a park is perfect to create some interest in your final gallery.
I love getting walking pictures.
A little movement can go a long way to create natural looking poses for your photos. I like starting with having my client walk back and forth, since it helps to get them out of their shell a little bit. Plus, I think it looks a little more interesting than just standing straight with your hands by your side, or on your hips. My client even mentioned by the end of the photoshoot that she was really happy I included a lot of movement in my session.
Next, we found the bridge.
Like the boardwalk, the bridge was perfect because it added a little variety to the overall gallery. It's always nice when seniors have something they can lean on or stand up against.
Floral dress + twirling in the wildflowers
It was time for an outfit change. I felt like her blue floral dress looked perfect against all the yellow and white wildflowers. I love long dresses since they can add so much movement to a photo and it serves as something for my client to interact with. We did lots of twirls, and I had her try lots of different poses while she was surrounded by so many flowers. The golden hour light was shining through the trees, and it truly looked like she was in a magical forest. The only bad part was that the mosquitoes came out!
We saw the first sign of autumn, plus three deer!
While walking between photo spots, we saw a total of three deer. A couple were grazing, and one was bouncing through the trees. One of my favorite things about photography is that I get to experience all these magical little moments that I likely wouldn't have seen otherwise. I love exploring new parks and seeing sunset in so many beautiful places. I was also excited to see a little bit of fall appear on this tree. I thought it also made the perfect tree for some leaning photos, and the shade from all the trees made the light just right.
Playing in a field
Of course, when I saw this giant field I knew it was the best spot to get some more movement photos. By this time in the session, my client was feeling more comfortable in front of the camera, and the golden light was covering everything in the field beautifully. She understood my exact vision when I asked her to walk back and forth by me a couple times. I asked her to occasionally look at me, or look away. I loved the way she held her dress and remembered to look back at the camera.
A beautiful late summer evening in Deforest, WI
Overall, we had a great photoshoot at Token Creek County Park. My client said that she has frequented there before to go camping with her family, and I think it was great that she can commemorate those memories with her senior session there now too. It was a beautiful evening and I was happy I got to experience golden hour there.
