Goats, Chickens & Family Photos at Heavenly Acres Farm

I knew I was going to like this session when Brianna told me the thing she was most excited about was watching Eugene have fun with the animals, followed immediately by, “and I get to touch animals too.”

Same, Brianna. Same.

The Landon family came to me wanting photographs of what their family looks like right now. Brianna described them as playful, warm, and quirky, and told me she much prefers slice-of-life photos over spending an entire session posing. Andy is a stay-at-home dad who keeps their little world running, Grandma Carla joined us, and almost-three-year-old Eugene is funny, wildly smart, obsessed with books and animals, and has referred to himself as Baby Dino ever since dressing up as one for Halloween. Apparently, once you declare yourself Baby Dino, the name sticks.

Their current season of life is “growing and putting down roots,” which feels almost suspiciously appropriate for a family session on a working farm. Heavenly Acres gave us exactly the kind of afternoon I love photographing. Eugene got to wander, meet animals, climb on farm equipment, feed chickens, and generally have a freaking fantastic time while the adults followed along and enjoyed it with him. I got to hang back, step in when I needed to, and document a family who genuinely enjoys being together.

This one easily landed among my favorite family sessions.

Family Photos at Heavenly Acres Farm in Thorntown, Indiana

Heavenly Acres Farm gave Eugene approximately four thousand things to investigate before I ever had to come up with something for him to do. There were sheep peeking into the barn, goats coming over to see what we were doing, chickens wandering around like they owned the place, farm equipment begging for inspection, and a tractor that was obviously going to become part of the afternoon.

Pretty quickly, the session became less about moving everyone through a list of photographs and more about following Eugene around the farm. He held Andy’s hand while pointing out everything he saw, wandered through the barn with everyone close behind, climbed around the tractor, and got right down near the chickens when it was time to feed them. His attention kept moving, so we moved with it.

That is exactly why I love choosing locations based on the people I am photographing. Brianna had already told me Eugene loves animals, construction vehicles, books, and using his imagination. A working animal farm handed us half of its favorite things before we even started. He did not need me to make the afternoon interesting because he was already interested in what was happening around him.

I wrote an entire post with 35 creative family photo session ideas because I want families to think beyond choosing whichever park is closest. Your session can happen somewhere your kids would be excited to visit, even if I left the camera at home. That changes everything about the energy we get to photograph.

Why Farm Animal Family Photos Work So Well With Young Kids

Parents worry so much about whether their kids are going to cooperate for family photos, especially around this age. Meanwhile, three-year-olds have made absolutely no agreement with any of us about how this afternoon is supposed to go.

Eugene had things to do.

At one point he was completely focused on the controls of the tractor, his tiny hand wrapped around one of the knobs while the rest of the world became irrelevant. That photograph tells me so much more about him at almost three than I could ever get by asking him to sit still and smile. He is curious. He wants to touch things. He wants to understand what they do, and once something catches his attention, everybody else may as well give him a minute because Baby Dino is busy.

We still made the photographs where I could see his face, of course, but I also wanted the ones that would immediately take Brianna and Andy back to this version of him. That is what giving kids some freedom during a session can do. I am not constantly waiting for childhood to stop happening so I can photograph it.

If the kid portion of family photos is the thing making you nervous, my guide to preparing kids for family photos without stress will help. A big part of it is setting them up for success and then letting me work with the child who shows up. In Eugene’s case, I could have given him the greatest pre-session pep talk in the world and it still would not have competed with baby goats.

Fair.

Slice-of-Life Family Photos With the Landon Family

Brianna was really clear that she wanted documentation of what their family looks like in this phase of life. She likes some posing, but it is not the way she most loves seeing her family. That tells me we absolutely need the photograph where everyone is together, but it also tells me there is no reason to spend the next hour recreating that exact picture in twelve different places.

So we got everybody together, and then we went to enjoy the farm.

Andy held Eugene’s hand as they moved between animals. Brianna carried him when he needed a break. Carla got her own time wandering around with him. They fed chickens, explored the barn, met baby goats, climbed onto the tractor, laughed, pointed things out to each other, and occasionally looked toward me when I needed them to.

None of that had to be staged into existence. It was what they were already doing together, which gave me the freedom to concentrate on the part I love most. I could pay attention to the light, composition, and the relationships Brianna told me were important while giving everyone enough space for their own dynamic to come through.

Brianna told me she chose me because she liked my emphasis on documenting chaos, “because that’s what we have and I love.”

That might be one of the best descriptions of what I am trying to do here.

Baby Goats, Chickens, and One Very Happy Almost-Three-Year-Old

We need to talk about the baby goat because Eugene holding one with Andy might be one of the cutest things I photographed all summer. Eugene looks thrilled with the entire situation, and Andy looks like a dad who knows this is absolutely making his kid’s day. There is straw everywhere, nobody is thinking about how they look, and all I had to do was be ready for it.

That kept happening throughout the session. Eugene was not being entertained on the side while the adults endured family photos. His experience was part of the photographs, which meant everybody got involved. They were all having fun with him, and that gave me actual relationships to photograph instead of asking people to perform connection for the camera.

Then we moved on to the chickens, which became their own adventure. Brianna crouched beside Eugene with a cup of feed while the birds gathered around them. Grandma joined in, and at one point, enough chickens had assembled that the Landon family looked vaguely outnumbered. Eugene did not seem concerned.

I have another post about family portraits with pets, and one of the reasons I love photographing animals is that they bring their own opinions into the situation. Chickens, goats, dogs, horses, none of them care what photograph I planned to make. Something unexpected is probably going to happen, and very often that unexpected thing makes the photograph better.

Three-Generation Family Photos at Heavenly Acres Farm

Carla being part of this afternoon mattered too. Brianna specifically asked for photographs of Grandma with Eugene, along with Carla, Andy, and Eugene together as three generations of the family. A session like this gave me plenty of opportunities to document those relationships without stopping everything every five minutes to announce another grouping.

There are photographs of Carla walking through the chickens with Eugene, holding his hand while he looks around, finding an egg, and simply being part of his afternoon. I love those because they show something beyond “Grandma attended family photos.” They show that Grandma belongs in his world.

That is the part I want when grandparents join us. We will make the photograph where everybody is together, but I also want the small interactions that tell me what the relationship was like. Someday Eugene will be much taller than Carla, and that little hand in hers is going to look very different.

If you have been wondering whether you should bring Grandma or Grandpa to your session, my generational family photos at Westermeier Commons are another look at why my answer is almost always yes.

Why I Love Unique Family Photo Locations

I am probably never going to shut up about this because sessions like the Landons’ keep proving my point. Your family photo location can give us a whole lot more than something pretty in the background.

A good location gives your family something to share.

At Heavenly Acres, Eugene got to experience the animals while his parents and grandma watched him. Andy helped him hold a baby goat. Brianna knelt beside him while he fed chickens. Carla took his hand and wandered around the farm. They crowded around the tractor, peeked into the barn, walked together, and spent an afternoon following whatever caught Eugene’s attention next.

That also solves one of the questions people bring into family photos without always saying it out loud, which is, “What are we supposed to do for an hour?” At this session, nobody had much time to worry about that because there was usually an animal nearby stealing the attention.

This is one of the reasons the session sits so high on my favorites list. I got to document a family who loves each other while they were sharing an experience together. I did not need to turn the farm into a backdrop or keep dragging everyone back toward my camera. I could use the things already happening around us.

That is also exactly what I mean when I talk about creative family photo session ideas. Your version does not need goats. Maybe your kid is obsessed with bookstores, the farmers market, creek stomping, ice cream, trains, or your own backyard. I care less about whether a location looks impressive on Pinterest and much more about whether it gives your people room to be themselves.

Growing, Putting Down Roots, and Documenting This Part of Their Family

Brianna described their current chapter as growing and putting down roots, and I kept thinking about that while going through these photographs. Andy is home with Eugene, spending his days keeping their house running and, in Brianna’s words, making their little guy as happy and fulfilled as possible. Brianna and Eugene are apparently the family goofballs, while Andy and Carla tend to be the storytellers.

Their idea of a perfect day is sleeping later than six if the universe is feeling generous, getting coffee together so Eugene can have his own drink, buying books, and going to the park. It is regular family life, and I mean that in the best possible way.

Ten years from now, Brianna said she wants these photographs to make her feel happy and maybe a little wistful. I think that second part is going to sneak up on her. Eugene is so unmistakably little here. The curls, the tiny hand inside Andy’s, the way Brianna can still carry him around on her hip, the complete delight over baby animals, and the confidence that every tractor control probably exists for him to investigate.

They are building the regular stuff of family life right now, and regular stuff has a funny way of becoming the stuff you miss.

The pictures help us remember this version.

What to Wear for Family Photos at a Working Farm

I also love how the Landons dressed for this session because nobody looks like they were assigned a coordinated family uniform. Brianna wore black with striped wide-leg pants and her pink hair, doing exactly what pink hair should be doing in photographs. Andy wore a light neutral shirt with those bright rust-red shorts, Carla mixed a white top with patterned pants, and Eugene looked like a tiny gentleman who was still perfectly prepared to crawl around a barn.

It all worked together without looking like anybody tried too hard.

Heavenly Acres already gives us a lot visually between the red barns, weathered wood, green pasture, straw, fencing, animals, and equipment. Your clothes can stay pretty easy in a setting like this. Warm reds, cream, black, olive, denim, earthy colors, simple patterns, and natural textures all work beautifully, but I would still rather have everybody look like themselves than create some elaborate farm-themed palette that nobody would normally wear.

And please wear shoes that can survive dirt, straw, and whatever else a working farm throws at us. Delicate footwear and goats do not need to meet.

Are Farm Family Photos Good for Toddlers?

For the right kid, freaking yes.

Eugene was almost three, and every part of the farm gave him something new to explore. We could follow his attention instead of constantly trying to pull it back toward me, and because this was a full family session, there was plenty of time to let him settle in before asking for the few specific photographs Brianna wanted.

That does not mean every toddler is going to barrel into the goat pen with Eugene-level confidence. Some kids will want to watch from Dad’s arms for a while. Some will need twenty minutes before they decide the chickens are acceptable company. That is fine too. I want to photograph the kid who arrives, not spend your session trying to turn them into somebody more convenient.

If your child lights up around animals, though, a working farm can be such a good way to spend your family session because they get a memory out of it too.

Planning Family Photos at Heavenly Acres Farm Near Indianapolis

Heavenly Acres Farm is in Thorntown, Indiana, and because it is a working animal farm, access for a photography session should be planned ahead rather than treating it like a public park we can wander into whenever we want. If this is a location you have your eye on, tell me when you inquire and we can work through the details together.

If the Landons have you rethinking what your own family photos could look like, GOOD. Your kids do not need to spend an hour performing for my camera, and we do not have to choose your location based on which field is prettiest that week. We can start with your family. What do your kids love right now? Where would you genuinely enjoy spending an evening together? What would give us something to do while I document all the weird, funny, affectionate little things happening between you?

You can read more about my longer, kid-friendly sessions on my Indianapolis family photography page. And if you show up in my inbox saying, “I saw Baby Dino with the baby goat and now I want something freaking fun too,” I will understand the assignment.

Frequently Asked Questions About Farm Animal Family Photos

Where is Heavenly Acres Farm?

Heavenly Acres Farm is located in Thorntown, Indiana, northwest of Indianapolis. Because it is a working animal farm, visits and photography sessions should be coordinated ahead of time.

Can we book family photos at Heavenly Acres Farm?

Potentially, yes. Since Heavenly Acres is a working farm rather than a public photography location, availability and permission should be confirmed for your specific session date. Mention the farm when you inquire and we can look at the current options together.

Are farm family photos good for toddlers?

Absolutely, especially for kids who love animals and exploring. Having something interesting happening around them gives young children natural breaks from the camera and gives me plenty of ways to photograph their relationship with you while they play.

Can grandparents come to a farm family photo session?

Yes, and I love when they do. Longer family sessions give us time for the entire family together, grandparents with grandkids, three-generation photographs, and all the little interactions happening while everyone explores together.

What should we wear for family photos at a farm?

Choose clothes that work together without matching exactly, and make sure everybody can move comfortably. Earth tones, black, cream, olive, denim, warm reds, and simple patterns all work well around farm scenery. Shoes that can handle dirt and uneven ground are a must.

The Heart Narrative || Indianapolis Family Photographer

Photographer: Lauren Lewis || THE HEART NARRATIVE
Location:Heavenly Acres Farm, Thorntown, Indiana

Lauren Lewis is an Indianapolis lifestyle photographer specializing in family, newborn, maternity, milestone, senior, and cake smash photography. The Heart Narrative serves families throughout Indianapolis, Carmel, Westfield, Zionsville, Noblesville, Sheridan, Fishers, and the surrounding Central Indiana area.

Are you ready to book your family photos with me? Let’s do it!! I would love to document your family doing something you genuinely enjoy together, whether that means meeting baby goats on a farm, getting ice cream downtown, wandering through the fair, splashing through a creek, or coming up with an idea neither of us has tried yet.

Fill out my contact form, tell me a little about your people, and let’s start plotting. If you need more ideas first, dig through The Journal for family sessions, locations, kid prep, and plenty more proof that your family photos do not have to look like everybody else’s.

Let’s marvel in your messy.