Korean Heritage Honored in Carnithan-Choi Family Session

The Korean Bell Garden at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens is the perfect location for Korean family photos for those interested in representing their family heritage in images. I learned about this traditional Korean garden from the Carnithan-Choi family who suggested it for their debut photo session with me. Check out their story and photos below.

How We Met

Jennifer and Michael’s two daughters, Stella and Maggie both attend school with my son, Sasha. This year, they were the winning bidders on the photo session package I donated for the school auction. The couple had professional photos taken when the girls were both younger. However, it had been a while ago—which is why they bid on the package.

The Session

We met at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, with the intent of setting the scene within the traditional Korean Bell Garden. Developed in 2007, it’s the first Korean Bell Garden in a public garden within the US. That’s a pretty significant feat, I’d say. 

The day of the session was an absolutely gorgeous fall day. The weather was perfect and the garden was filled with visitors (and even other photographers!) all taking advantage of the last few temperate days of fall. It certainly made for a lovely afternoon, wandering around the grounds and gave us the chance to explore several different backgrounds to capture in the images.

For those of you who haven’t been there, the Korean Bell Garden is an open space without much shade. Luckily, we were able to find a nice spot in a nearby meadow from which you could see the bell in the distance. It made a terrific part of the landscape in the background, with the girls in the foreground. I love how we incorporated it into the picture without being in the harsh direct light. Don’t you?

The Selection

The family chose the beautiful image of the girls embracing, which truly signifies the special bond they share together. It will be showcased in a large gallery wrap that’s going to be a statement piece in their family room.

 

I’m so pleased they’ll have a lasting record of the unique relationships they’ve built with each other at this moment in their lives, as well as embracing their Korean descent in the images.