Family Portraits at Athens GA State Botanical Gardens

The Ledford Family Portraits at Athens GA State Botanical Gardens

There is something truly special about photographing a family's journey through life. From engagements to weddings, maternity sessions to newborn portraits, we love being there to document these moments as they unfold. For Anna and Adam Ledford, this session was an especially meaningful one, as they were one of our very first wedding clients. Now, years later, we had the honor of capturing them as a family of four, with their newest little addition just six weeks old.

family portrait in greenhouse at athens ga state botanical gardens

The Perfect Shoot Location (It's free!)

The State Botanical Gardens in Athens, GA, provided the perfect backdrop for this sweet family session. With lush greenery, blooming flowers, and soft golden light filtering through the trees, it was an idyllic setting for documenting this next chapter in their lives. Anna and Adam’s older son was full of energy, bringing laughter and joy to the session, while their newborn nestled in their arms, peaceful and content.

From Engagement to Wedding to a Family of Four

Watching families grow over the years is one of the greatest joys as a photographer. There’s something so rewarding about seeing a couple go from saying “I do” to welcoming little ones into their lives. It’s a reminder that photography isn’t just about capturing a moment—it’s about preserving a legacy. The Ledfords' session was a beautiful reflection of that, filled with love, warmth, and the deep connections that make family so special.

Anna and Adam, thank you for trusting us once again to document your family’s story. It has been an absolute joy to be part of your journey, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for your growing family!

Their Wedding Day Review:

"We met Rachel at a vendor event that our wedding venue had about a year before our big day. There were several other photographers there showing off their work, but she immediately stood out in a class of her own. Her previous works were just breathtaking, and she was extremely friendly and easy to talk to. By the time we left that day, we decided we had to have her for our wedding. After booking her, we ended up doing an engagement session as well, and it really could not have gone better. She is so talented and creative, and the photos turned out absolutely stunning. She even handled all of our picky requests for any specific photoshop edits we wanted, and still managed to get the results over to us shortly after the session.

Leading up to the wedding, Rachel turned out to be the most valuable resource we had in terms of scheduling and planning--even more so than our actual wedding planner/coordinator. She had multiple calls with us to make sure we had a timeline planned down to the minute for the wedding day, and helped us with things we would have otherwise not even considered. When it finally arrived, that helped everything go so smoothly and eliminated a lot of stress that could have been! She and her assistant captured all of the important moments perfectly, but our favorites turned out to be the many candid shots we didn’t even realize they were there to get. There are plenty of wonderful photos of each member of our wedding party, our guests, and of course our family members. She managed to turn the photos around extremely quickly after the event, sending them over to us within a few weeks. We could not be more pleased with the incredible photos we have to remember the best day of our lives.

We would recommend Papillon Visuals to our closest friends, and felt we had to share that with anyone else looking for the perfect photographer for your special event!" - Anna & Adam | Five-Stars on Google