Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park Family Photos | Indianapolis Family Photographer

The Toler family’s fall session at Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park had exactly the kind of energy I love for family photos with young kids. It was playful, warm, a little wild in the best way, and full of movement. Which, with a three-year-old and an eighteen-month-old, is usually not just the goal. It is the weather system.

Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park, also known as 100 Acres Park, gave us such a beautiful backdrop for their Indianapolis family photos. We had the lake, wooded paths, tall grasses, fall color, open space, and the kind of art installations that make kids immediately think, “Yes, this is for climbing.” And honestly, sometimes they are correct. Stephanie and Lorri wanted their session to feel fun and playful, not overly staged. Their family is loving, affectionate, energetic, and very much in the tiny-kid years, where everyone is either being hugged, lifted, chased, kissed, or asked very kindly to please not sprint directly toward a body of water.

It was exactly what family photos should be at this stage: a little planned, a little unpredictable, and full of the things they will want to remember.

Fall Family Photos at Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park

For this session, we met at Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park on a fall morning in Indianapolis. This park is part of Newfields, but it has its own completely different feel from a more manicured garden location. It is natural, open, creative, and gives kids plenty of space to explore. The Toler family wanted greenery, trees, fields, stone, stairs, sculptures, and room to walk around and see what happened. That is one of the best ways to approach family photos with toddlers. You can absolutely have a plan, but the magic usually shows up once the kids have room to move.

Leo was three at the time, which means he brought the full three-year-old collection: adventurous, stubborn, loving, wild, helpful, and very committed to having his own opinions. Lennon was eighteen months and in one of my favorite little stages, newly thrilled by her own movement and very proud of the fact that she could jump with two feet. That kind of energy does not need to be flattened into perfect posing. It needs a location that can hold it.

100 Acres Park worked so well because the session could keep moving. We walked by the lake, played near the tall grasses, snuggled on a blanket, explored wooded paths, and used the yellow sculpture as part of the gallery. It gave the photos variety without making the whole morning feel like a forced march through Indianapolis with two toddlers and a snack deadline.

Why 100 Acres Park Is a Great Indianapolis Family Photo Location

One of the reasons I love Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park for family photos is that it gives you a mix of nature and play in one location. There are quiet lake views, wooded paths, tall grasses, open pockets of light, and creative structures that make the park feel different from a standard field-and-trees session. For families who want outdoor family photos in Indianapolis but do not want every image to look the same, 100 Acres Park has a lot to offer.

For the Toler family, the lake gave us soft, reflective fall color. The paths gave us movement. The tall grasses gave us cozy snuggling spots. The yellow sculpture added something playful and bold, which fit Leo and Lennon perfectly. This is also a great location for families who do not want their session to feel too formal. You can dress comfortably, let the kids explore, and still end up with photos that feel beautiful and intentional. Stephanie described their clothing style as relaxed, and the jewel-toned fall outfits worked so well against the gold trees, green grasses, and warm morning light.

The park gave us enough variety for the full family, both moms together, each parent with each child, the kids together, solo photos, and those in-between moments that happen when no one is thinking too hard about the camera. That is always where the good stuff tends to sneak in.

Playful Family Photos with Toddlers at 100 Acres Park

Family photos with toddlers are their own special category of adventure. You are not just taking portraits. You are managing movement, emotions, curiosity, independence, snack timing, shoe opinions, and at least one child who has suddenly discovered a deep spiritual connection to a stick. Leo and Lennon were exactly the kind of kids I love photographing because they were busy, affectionate, curious, and expressive. Leo had that big-helper energy his moms described. He loved taking care of everyone, but he also had the full-body confidence of a three-year-old boy in an open park. Lennon had the sweetest little smile, a wonderful scrunchy laugh, and that just-learned-to-jump excitement that makes everything feel like an event.

Instead of trying to make them stand still for the whole session, we built the photos around what they were naturally doing. Walking, hugging, climbing, snuggling, exploring, being lifted, running down paths, and occasionally pausing just long enough for a portrait before the next tiny mission began. That is the secret to playful family photos with little kids. You do not have to fight who they are. You just have to give them enough space to be themselves and enough gentle direction that the gallery still feels cohesive.

Some of my favorite images from this session are the ones where the kids are moving toward their moms, being held close, or playing with each other near the lake and sculpture. They feel like this exact age. Not polished into something calmer. Not forced into something older. Just Leo and Lennon, right now.

Outdoor Family Photos in Indianapolis That Let Kids Move

Stephanie and Lorri told me before the session that they wanted their photos to feel fun and playful, not staged. That is always such a good starting point, especially with young kids. There is nothing wrong with getting a few everyone-looking-at-the-camera photos. We do that too. But if a whole session becomes one long attempt to freeze toddlers into place, everyone leaves tired and slightly haunted. For this session, movement was part of the plan. The kids walked the paths, explored near the water, climbed on the yellow sculpture, snuggled into their moms, and ran in that tiny-kid way where their feet are moving faster than their decision-making skills.

And because Stephanie mentioned that music, dancing, and singing are part of their family life, the whole session had that same kind of rhythm. Even without making the photos about a specific activity, you can feel that their family is affectionate and playful. Lots of hugs. Lots of kisses. Lots of laughing. Lots of “come here, you little goblin, I love you” energy. That is why location matters so much for outdoor family photos in Indianapolis. A spot like Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park gives kids room to explore while still giving us beautiful backdrops. The session can breathe a little. The kids can reset. Parents can stop worrying quite so much about whether everyone is performing correctly.

The goal is not to make little kids look perfectly behaved. The goal is to create photos that let them move, play, snuggle, explore, and still feel like themselves. If you’re already wondering how to get your kids ready without turning the whole thing into a pre-session hostage negotiation, I have a guide coming on How to Prepare Kids for Family Photos Without Stress that will be perfect for this.

Fall Family Photos That Feel Like Joy

When I asked Stephanie what she wanted to feel looking back at these photos ten years from now, her answer was simple: joy. That answer really shaped how I thought about this session. Joy is not always everyone smiling perfectly at the same time. Sometimes it is Lennon being lifted into the air by one mom while Leo grins at the camera from under the other mom’s arm. Sometimes it is the kids wrapped in a blanket, snuggled close and slightly tangled. Sometimes it is Leo kissing his mom’s cheek so hard her whole face changes. Sometimes it is Stephanie and Lorri walking together in the sun for a few quiet seconds before the kids tumble back into the frame.

The Toler family has the kind of closeness that photographs beautifully because it does not need a lot of instruction. Their affection is right there. Two moms, two little kids, hands always reaching, bodies always moving closer, everyone laughing at the exact kind of things that probably would not make sense to anyone outside their house. Those are the photos that matter later. Not because everyone looked perfect, but because they feel like proof. Proof that this season was loud and loving. Proof that the kids were little. Proof that the family room dancing and Saturday breakfasts and helping hands and big feelings were all happening at once.

That is the joy.

Inclusive Indianapolis Family Photography for Every Kind of Family

Every family has its own shape, rhythm, and way of loving each other. For the Toler family, that looked like two moms, two little kids, lots of affection, and a fall morning spent exploring 100 Acres Park together. That is also how I want every family to feel in front of my camera: normal, welcome, and not like they have to explain themselves before they can be photographed beautifully. My job is not to make your family fit a template. It is to photograph the people you love in a way that feels honest, relaxed, and true to you. Whether your family has two moms, two dads, one parent, bonus parents, grandparents helping raise kids, or any other configuration of people who belong to each other, the goal is the same. We make photos that feel like your actual family.

For Stephanie and Lorri, that meant making space for both of them with each child, both of them together, the kids on their own, the kids together, and the full family in all the movement and affection that makes this season theirs. That kind of trust matters when you are hiring someone to photograph your family. You are not just choosing someone who knows where the pretty light is, although, yes, please let us always find the pretty light. You are choosing someone who knows how to make your family feel comfortable, respected, and seen. If you are still figuring out what to look for, I have a post about choosing the right family photographer that can help.

Planning Family Photos at Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park

If you are planning family photos at Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park, or 100 Acres Park, the best thing you can do is choose the location because it fits your family, not just because it is pretty. This park is a great fit if your kids like to move, explore, climb, run, or generally behave like they have been personally invited by nature to investigate every leaf. It gives us space for walking photos, snuggly blanket photos, lake views, wooded backdrops, and playful images around the art installations.

For fall family photos in Indianapolis, it is especially beautiful. The trees reflect on the water, the morning light comes through the wooded areas, and the whole park has a little bit of wildness to it without feeling difficult to use. If you’re still comparing outdoor locations, I also have a guide to family photo locations around Hamilton County and North Indianapolis with more park ideas for families who want space, movement, and natural backdrops.

A few simple things help make a session here work well. Dress comfortably enough that you can walk, sit, hold kids, and move around. Bring a blanket if you want cozy sitting photos. Let me know ahead of time if your kids love music, dancing, stuffed animals, snacks, or anything else that might help them settle in. And most importantly, come in with a little flexibility. Family photos with young kids are not about controlling every second. They are about creating enough space for the real stuff to show up.

For the Toler family, that meant lake views, fall color, tiny boots, big hugs, sculpture climbing, blanket snuggles, and a whole lot of joy.

The Heart Narrative || Indianapolis Family Photographer
Photographer

Lauren Lewis || THE HEART NARRATIVE

Location:
Virginia B Fairbanks Art & Nature Park - Indianapolis, Indiana

Family photography should feel relaxed, welcoming, and true to the people being photographed. Whether we’re exploring Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park, walking through 100 Acres Park, playing in your own backyard, or choosing another meaningful location around Central Indiana, the goal is always the same: creating images that feel like your real family.

If you're looking for an Indianapolis family photographer or planning family photos at Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park, I’d love to help you design a session that feels natural, playful, and true to your family. Reach out through my contact form and let’s start planning.

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