When Pragya first reached out to me about their session, I was immediately in love with the intention behind it. Not only was their daughter, Veda, turning one, but they were about to move and wanted to document her first home and the place that held so many memories for them as a family. Pragya and I discussed the options for digital or film photography for their session, and they decided on film because they wanted that soft, nostalgic look for these little moments with their daughter.

In the days leading up to their session, it became clear that rain was on the table. We discussed rescheduling, but with their move only days away it wasn’t feasible, so we forged ahead and I brought along my trusty clear umbrellas in case we needed them. As you’ll see, we sure did!

We started off the session in their apartment with some casual portraits on the couch, followed by candids of them all reading and playing together on Veda’s colorful play mat, which was lit beautifully by big windows, despite the darkening sky. I adore the bright colors in this space and the joy that comes through in these photos!

Just as we got ready to venture outside for the second half of our session, the rain started coming down and coming down hard. We hung out in the lobby of their building for a while, waiting for it to let up. There was a tiny awning outside the lobby windows, so I ran outside and had them all come right up to the windows. Veda loved it and was so full of laughs and smiles– definitely some of my favorite shots of the session!

When it became clear the rain wasn’t going to let up anytime soon, I got the clear umbrellas from my car and we headed outside. The Charles River runs right behind their building, and was an important part of their life together in this apartment– a place they frequently walked, and where their daughter sat and ate lunch every day. Pouring rain or not, we were going to capture this part of their story! We got a couple shots of them standing along the river with an umbrella, and then took cover under a pavilion so that they could move and play freely. Veda was totally unfazed by the rain and in fact seemed to love it!

My biggest thanks to the Shah family for being so much fun and such troopers with the rain! I absolutely love the idea of documenting your child’s first home before a move and will absolutely be doing the same for my daughter when we eventually move out of her first home.