This location is everything. I mean… look! It doesn’t get any better for family portraits.

If you want something different than the annual spring or fall family session, I would highly recommend doing this. Spring flowers and fall leaves are wonderful, but this river location in Porterdale, Georgia is gorgeous. Pair it with a hot summer evening and you get magic. Most families tend to choose a spring or fall session because of the cooler weather, which is nice. However, after these summer photos, I’ll have to add an extra family session on my calendar as well. You can never have too many family photos. I truly believe that. Just have a look at my annual family photo book.

I love new locations and this one definitely doesn’t disappoint. There’s large rocks that provide great coverage. No need to worry about any small, unstable rocks to walk across here. If you want to stay dry, no problem. There’s plenty of poses we can do to accommodate that. But… if you’re like me and the first thing you think of when seeing this location is getting IN the water, then I’m down! We can get all of the posed photos first, and then capture fun in the cool water.

The Hopkins family brought their sweet pup, Tucker, to join in on the fun. He’s such a sweet dog and definitely the center of attention. Rightfully so. If you ever thought about including your family pet in a photo session, just ask! As long as there’s no rules at the venue or location we’re photographing at, then there’s no problem with me. I love meeting these animals!

It was a great afternoon with the Hopkins family at the river. Here’s a few of my favorites from their summer family portraits at the river.