Sunriver Vacation Ideas: A Family Photoshoot!

So you’re headed to central Oregon for an amazing vacation! You got your time off work, the kids are excited and asking you “are we there yet?” for the millionth time. Maybe you’re the type of person who really likes to plan ahead, and you have your whole itinerary planned out for your Sunriver vacation. Maybe, you have a few gaps you’d like to fill with something fun and memorable, and you need ideas! Here are some reasons why commemorating your vacation here with family photos could be a great way to spend an afternoon!

Location, location, location! 

Sunriver (and Central Oregon) is gorgeous. I mean, you know that already! You planned a whole vacation here in Sunriver, just to take in the sights and experience everything this area has to offer. You couldn’t ask for a better backdrop for your family photos than Sunriver. 

Plus, you get something unique in every season! Whether it’s fluffy fresh snowfall with Sunriver’s classic Ponderosa Pine forests, or a wide open field with the Deschutes River and Cascade mountain range right behind you, there are tons of opportunities for beautiful photos just a stone’s throw away from the Sunriver Resort and Lodge. 

It’s not just about how beautiful your photos can turn out here, either! Us locals have tons of tricks and secrets for the best spots, and we would absolutely love to share them with you so that you can fully experience everything this area has to offer! We’d love to take you and the whole family on an adventure you’ll only learn about from an expert!

Core Memories of Your Sunriver Vacation

When else besides on this amazing, relaxing, exciting vacation will you have the time to document this season of your family’s life? Everyone’s schedule is wide open, and you have all the time in the world to spend together! There’s no house to clean up, no work schedules to coordinate around, no other regular life responsibilities getting in the way of you savoring this moment. This relaxation and bliss will shine in your family photos! You’ll be happy, carefree, and positively glowing!!

You’re making some core memories over the course of your Sunriver vacation, and I’m willing to bet you’ll be snapping those iPhone photos left and right already anyway! Psst: if you’re a parent, I bet you’re taking those photos of everyone and everything but yourself! You deserve to be present in those memories with your family. Years from now, your kids will love and cherish having pictures of all of you in this moment. Once it’s gone, you can’t get it back! 

Taking photos to solidify these fleeting moments is one of the most precious and important things that I can do for you as a photographer — you only get so many vacations when your kids are still kids!! You deserve to be present in full, vibrant color in these memories!

“I’m not really feeling formal…”

I totally get what you’re thinking. Family photos can be stuffy and awkward, and what if the kids start crying, or complaining? I’m here to bust up those myths about stiff, awkward family photos on your Sunriver vacation! Picture this:

You tell the kids that you’re going on an adventurous hike! You’re going to try and spot some unique birds, find some colorful leaves together, follow the river downstream… Oh, and there will be a photographer there, just to capture you as you spend quality time together! 

Forget about traditional posing, wearing all the same outfits, sore cheeks from forcing smiles. A family photo session (the way I love to do them!) is natural, and captures the dynamic of your family as it is, not as anyone is trying to force it to be. It’s like you’re just asking a professional with a camera if they’ll tag along on a family outing you’d be going on anyway! Sure, I’ll give you some direction just to make sure no one’s face is hidden and that the angles aren’t awkward. But the last thing I want is for you to feel uncomfortable or not like yourselves. Natural, organic family photos are the ones you’re going to love looking back on even more. They’ll be full of your energy, your love, and your sense of adventure!

Have I convinced you yet to document your amazing Sunriver vacation with family photos?! I hope so! I may be biased because I live here, but I think central Oregon is the most underrated gem in the whole state! Reach out to me here to schedule your family session!