Harrisburg Family Photo Locations: Some of My Favorites

01.18.23 02.02.23

When I’m working with a family to plan their family portraits, one of the first details we decide on is the location. The location for your Harrisburg family photo session sets the tone for the entire aesthetic, whether you’re looking for a backdrop that is natural and earthy, historic and charming, or anything in between.

Trying to find a location for your next photo session? Here are some of my top spots (note: the images pictured are not necessarily taken at the locations listed).

Shipoke, PA for a Harrisburg Family Photo Session

Shipoke is one of Harrisburg’s most picturesque neighborhoods. It’s lined with gorgeous rowhouses that would remind you of old-world San Francisco or Charleston’s Rainbow Row. It’s perfect for families who love that style of charm and want a richly colorful background for their portraits.

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Fort Hunter Mansion and Park

The Fort Hunter Mansion and Park overlooks the gorgeous Susquehanna River. The mansion’s exterior has a bold historical look and the grounds of its surrounding park have amazing natural beauty. It’s fantastic for family portraits surrounded by bright and lively greenery.

Lower Allen Community Park

Located in Mechanicsburg, Lower Allen Community Park is one of my favorite spots for Harrisburg family photos. It features a variety of different landscapes, like woodsy areas as well as open green spaces, so I can capture a few different looks in the same place.

Downtown Harrisburg and the Harrisburg PA State Capitol

For families who want a stylish and urban aesthetic in their family portraits, downtown Harrisburg is a go-to choice. There are so many spots in downtown Harrisburg that make it easy to create the specific look your family wants.

Milton Hershey School Founder’s Hall in Hershey, PA

For families who live in the Hershey area or who are up for a short drive, I love taking portraits at the Milton Hershey School’s Founders Hall in Hershey. The building and its surrounding area has a lovely, unique look that can create a fantastic family portrait backdrop.

Choosing Your Perfect Location for Harrisburg Family Photos

If you’re due for some new Harrisburg family photos, hiring an experienced photographer will make the rest of the process simple and smooth. As a full-service photographer, I’m happy to help families choose a location, plan their wardrobe, and even design your custom portrait prints and other products. Get started today by contacting Karissa Zimmer Photography. I can’t wait to help you create new memories for this chapter of your family’s life!

Should You Include Siblings in a Hershey Maternity Photo Shoot?

11.23.22 11.30.22

Maternity portraits celebrate one of the most unique and treasured times in your life. I’m honored to help families throughout the Hershey, PA area to preserve lifelong memories of this meaningful time. If you’re planning a Hershey maternity portrait session, you may have the same question that countless other families ask: should you include your children in your maternity photos?

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The Beauty of Family Maternity Portraits

When you’re preparing to welcome a new baby into your family, the entire family is involved. Your older child may be excited to meet their baby sibling and eager to become a big brother or big sister. In many families, there’s already a unique bond before the new baby has even arrived.

This is why including your kids in your Hershey maternity portraits can be so meaningful. You’re paying homage to the fact that the entire family is ready to embrace the new baby with love and warmth. If your older child is somewhat distant from their soon-to-be sibling, this photo session can also be a fantastic way to help them feel more involved in the pregnancy. You can even use the photo shoot as an opportunity to take some solo portraits of your child or children before the new baby arrives.

Celebrating Your Special Time

While some moms-to-be enjoy bringing the entire family for their maternity portraits, it’s also important to remember that this photo session is in honor of you! Amid the discomforts, physical changes, and stresses of pregnancy, maternity portraits can help you remember that you are an absolute bombshell who deserves to feel strong and confident. For some moms-to-be, maternity portraits are incredibly personal in this way, and you may not want to incorporate the entire family.

Your Hershey Maternity Portraits, Your Call!

Ultimately, the question of whether you should include your kids in your maternity portraits comes down to you. This is your photo session, and I’m happy to work with whatever makes you feel comfortable and will help you enjoy your session most. There’s no wrong answer!

To start planning your maternity photos, contact my Hershey area portrait studio today.

Hershey PA Family Photographer | The Stirpe Family

02.24.22 03.10.22

I love being a Hershey PA Family Photographer! I hold this family so close to my heart! The Stirpe Family has continued to trust me to capture their family portraits for the last 4 years! I’ve even been lucky enough to document and watch their littlest, Ava, grow up since birth! That is truly the greatest compliment and honor any Hershey PA Family Photographer can possibly receive! Not only are my clients trusting me to capture and create the best images for them, but they are trusting me with a piece of their family’s lives and I do not take that lightly!

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Choosing a location for your Hershey PA Family Photos

I must say, this family is a true creature of habit! They have one location they have loved over and over for the past few years! But this time, we all agreed it was time for a nice change-up! We decided on Founder’s Hall at The Milton Hershey School for the Stirpe’s family photos. The grounds here are absolutely beautiful during any time of year. It truly makes for the perfect setting for a Hershey family photo session!

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Summer Family Photography sessions

Now, when I say the Stirpes’ are creatures of habit I am not kidding! Just like they’ve got their favorite location, they also had a serious tendency to LOVE fall family photography. I’m pretty certain I’ve spent approximately 3 of the 4 years we worked together trying to convert them to summer family photography session clients! This past year WE DID IT! We did a Hershey PA summer family photo shoot and it was pure magic. Hands down, my favorite session we ever captured together! I think we could agree that the summer “magic hour” is truly the most magical!

Build a relationship with your Family photographer!

I truly adore these 4 people. My clients that I get to see each year become my people! Almost like an extension of my family and friend circle! I love that we can laugh together, have our yearly “inside jokes” and most of all watch their babies grow up together. I believe family photography is such a personal service. It’s not a service where you should pick “just anyone” to perform. I believe you should always have the opportunity to meet your photographer for an in-person consultation prior to working together. Kind of like a preliminary “meet and greet” to see if they’re a good fit for your family. You should feel that your personalities mesh well and that you trust them to work with your children and capture them authentically. When choosing the right Hershey PA Family Photographer, you should know it’s someone you’ll enjoy working with and trust to capture your family for years to come, not just one and done!

Choose me to capture your Hershey PA Family Photography Session!

I’d love to learn more about you and your family and how we can capture some amazing images together! Images that you will want to display on the walls of your home for years and years to come! I am a custom, full-service portrait photographer serving Hershey PA and all of the surrounding Central PA towns including Harrisburg, Camp Hill, Mechanicsburg, York, and Carlisle PA. I will walk you through my portrait photography process from start to finish! Shoot me a quick message today to start planning your family’s photo session!