Bearwallow Mountain Adventure Family Photos
It is no secret that Asheville has become a destination. A place people come to get married. A place people come to drink beer. A place people visit with their families to hike and explore the mountains of WNC. The latter is true for this adventurous family. And they took it a step further and thought, let’s document this thing and hire a photographer to follow us up this mountain and capture us frolicking across a field with the mountains as our backdrop. Cue me, your adventure photographer that will gladly take that hike and frolic right along with you.
Family photography is obviously important to me. As a parent, I know how fleeting the years can be and this is why I became a photographer in the first place. There are two things that I love (well more than two but these are big ones)...my kids and photography. Well…I have two kids so technically that is three. And there is also my husband and dog so ok, five. And a perfect day for me involves photographing my family, and a huge bonus if I can mix in nature of some kind.
I also know that there is a limited time that my kids are young enough to go along with my shenanigans, and let me be their personal photographer on all of our adventures. So one day, after packing up ALL the snacks and the random knick knacks that were essential to my children to haul up the side of a mountain (and that were inevitably left in the car and later lamented over), we drove over to Hendersonville to this amazing spot called Bearwallow Mountain.
Once we got to the top, we spread out a blanket and had a picnic with the most amazing view and I jumped into family photographer mode, trying to capture photos of my kids in their element, jumping off of rocks, playing tag, taking in the view, and cautiously checking out the grazing cows nearby. It was picturesque and I couldn’t help thinking, “man, I wish someone was taking photos of all of us together so I could be in the photos too.” And then my next thought was, I bet other families feel the same because let’s be honest, mom never gets in the frame.
So from there, I started offering adventure family photography to my clients and the DeSapio family was all about it. They traveled to North Carolina from Missouri to visit family and were exploring the Asheville and WNC area while in town. They had been to a festival in Black Mountain, they had seen Lake Lure, they had gone to a board game cafe in downtown Asheville, but they were ready to get outdoors.
It was a hot day, and I mean HOT, even on top of a mountain. And these kids (and parents) were total troopers. On the way up we chatted about school starting and their big move out west (they were in the process of relocating to the PNW), and we realized we had all just seen the musical Wicked in Greenville, SC, just days before, so we discussed our favorite songs. This was the perfect time to break the ice and loosen up so that when I pulled out my camera, they already felt comfortable which eliminated some of those stiff moments that the beginning of a photography session often starts with, and that every family photographer dreads.
It was full blazing sun and the mountains, although a little hazy, were on full display. As a family photographer I know that almost always the family wants at least one posed photo of everyone looking at the camera so I typically get that one done first and then we have some real fun. It is always nice to have the family Christmas card photo in your gallery, but these sessions are really about the experience, and honestly no one loves awkwardly standing and smiling at the camera.
We spent some time playing with rocks, admiring the view, hugging, tickling, chasing, and then headed into the woods for some shade and photos in the lush ferns. We finished up our mountain adventure photo session with a stroll along the ridge, showing off some beautiful clouds, and then we headed back down the mountain.
Sometimes I pinch myself that this is my job. Being a family photographer is a dream and days like this make it so worth it. The Asheville and surrounding landscape is truly breathtaking and I’m so glad this family has photos to document their time here as they continue their adventure.
