Just as the heat wave was reaching its peak, it was time for my family photography session with the Stadelmanns at their family farm. Instead of postponing, we opted for pool time, which was the perfect way to keep cool on a steamy evening – and allowed for plenty of photos of the kids’ antics.
The Stadelmanns live on a large family farm in Green Valley, the kind of rural Ontario homestead that allows plenty of space for kids to roam freely and the kind of property that tends to accumulate animals beyond just the farm cows. When I arrived, they’d just received a whole herd of kids – 11 goats, most of which were only three days old. Add to this the kittens that were practicing their pouncing skills and the rabbit who spent most of its time time just lounging in the driveway, and it appeared that they had quite the menagerie forming.
The Stadelmann kids were eager to spend time with their new kids and they took turns crowding into the pen to feed, touch or generally stare at these bleating little creatures. Sydney has clearly taken on the role of nursemaid for them and seemed to have a full understanding of what needed to be done to help them thrive. Mya was definitely the most enamoured with the kittens, and spent a large portion of her evening with at least one of them no more than a few millimetres from her face.
From time in the pool to time in the goat pen and even during the brief casual portraits at the start of the session, it was clear that this is a family that plays together. With six kids in your home, there’s always someone around, but it seems like they manage to regularly choose to be around each other out of love of one another’s company, rather than a lack of other options (of which there are many). The session was filled with the sounds of squealing and laughter – and the calming lowing of cattle.
As the session wound down, the kids began collecting snacks and popcorn machines and heading across the field to Grandma’s house, where the cousins from the neighbouring farm were gathering with family for an outdoor movie. I felt the mellowness settle in as blankets and stuffies were dragged across the yard and the sun dropped lower onto the horizon. These are the nights that childhood summers are made of. These kids only get 18 summers under their parents’ wings, but Martin and Jenn are making them count. This is undoubtedly shaping up to be one that they’ll talk about when they’re old and grey.
Here’s a look into this fun-filled session down on the farm:
I’m Ang – a Cornwall, Ontario documentary family photographer with a passion for capturing light and photographing natural moments in life as they happen. My goal is to capture memories that you will cherish once your children are too grown up to curl into your lap for cuddles and the house seems oddly quiet at night. I love meeting new families in their natural environment, whether that’s a rural farm, a back yard in the city, or a local gymnastics lesson, and getting in amongst the bedlam so that I can document the perfectly imperfect realities of daily life. Please explore more of www.momentusstudio.com to see more examples of rural Ontario family photography.
