How to Plan Your Family Session at Blackwood Farm Park (And Actually Enjoy It)

If you've been searching for a Durham family photographer, a Chapel Hill portrait photographer, or a Raleigh photographer who shoots in real, beautiful outdoor locations — Blackwood Farm Park belongs at the top of your list.

Tucked along the rolling fields of Orange County, Blackwood Farm Park at 4215 NC-86, Chapel Hill, NC 27514 is one of my absolute favorite places to photograph families in the Triangle. Wide open meadows, golden light that doesn't quit, old barns, walking trails, wildflowers — it has everything. And it feels like stepping out of everyday life into somewhere a little slower and a little more magical.

But here's the thing: the location isn't the whole story. How you show up matters just as much. So if you have a session booked here (or you're thinking about it), here's exactly how to make the most of it.

Wear Something Comfortable — Really Comfortable

I know it's tempting to go all out with the coordinating outfits and the dress shoes. And yes, I love a beautiful, thoughtfully-put-together look. But Blackwood Farm Park is a working farm park. There are trails, uneven ground, and yes — sometimes mud.

Wear layers you can move in. Flowy dresses, linen shirts, broken-in jeans. Clothes your kids can run in without you wincing. The families who look most at ease in their photos are always the ones who dressed for themselves, not for a performance.

Soft, earthy tones photograph beautifully here — creams, sage, rust, warm browns. Leave the stiff, itchy stuff at home.

Bring a Blanket

This is one of my top tips and I give it to every family. A soft blanket — a quilt, a linen throw, something with texture and personality — becomes a prop, a gathering spot, and a place for little ones to land when they need a moment.

Some of my favorite images from sessions at Blackwood happen on the blanket. Kids piled on top of each other. A parent pulling their toddler into their lap. Everyone leaning in close because that's just what you do when you're all on a blanket together.

It sounds simple. It works every time.

Pack Snacks

Happy kids are well-fed kids. Bring their favorites — something they genuinely love, not just something tidy. Snacks give little ones something to look forward to, a natural reset when energy dips, and honestly? Some of the sweetest, most unguarded moments I photograph happen mid-snack.

There's something about a child eating a strawberry in golden light that just gets me every time.

Frame It as an Adventure

Before you come, tell your kids you're going on an adventure. Not a photo session — an adventure. You're going to explore a farm. There might be fields to run through. There might be bugs to investigate. There's definitely going to be something interesting around every corner.

When kids arrive expecting to explore, they move differently. They look around with wide eyes instead of crossing their arms waiting for it to be over. They pull you toward things. They forget anyone is watching.

That's exactly where the magic lives — in the forgetting.

Let Them Lead (At Least Some of the Time)

If your child wants to crouch down and look at something on the ground, let them. If they want to spin in circles, let them. If they want to chase a sibling across the field instead of holding still, absolutely let them.

I am going to be right there with you, moving with your family, capturing what's real. You don't have to manage them for me. You just have to be with them.

The images that mean the most — the ones clients frame and hang and cry over years later — are never the ones where everyone was perfectly posed. They're the ones where something true was happening.

Forget the Camera Is There

I know. Easier said than done. But the single biggest thing you can do to get beautiful photographs is to stop performing for the lens and start just being together.

Talk to your kids. Tell your partner something funny. Hold hands just because. Look at each other, not at me.

My job is to disappear into the background and witness your family the way you actually are. Your only job is to show up and enjoy each other. The rest takes care of itself.

One Last Thing

Sessions at Blackwood Farm Park tend to move at their own pace — slow and wandering, like an evening walk you don't want to end. Leave a little extra time. Don't rush to the next thing. Let the light come to you.

This season of life — this one, right now, with your family exactly as they are today — is going by faster than you think. A session here is a chance to slow down, look up, and actually feel it for a little while.

I can't wait to be there with you.

Katrina is a family photographer and family filmmaker based in Durham, North Carolina. She offers lifestyle newborn photography, family sessions, and storytelling family films that focus on honest, heartfelt, and authentic moments. Her clients love receiving both their digital files and beautiful artwork to display in their homes. Katrina also creates custom heirloom albums so you can revisit your favorite memories for years to come.

Katrina has previously partnered with Adobe to share her expertise in capturing magical light and the true essence of each family—an experience that continues to shape her approach and craft.

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Katrina serves Durham, Raleigh, Cary, Carrboro, Apex, and Chapel Hill, North Carolina