Angie set up a small fall picnic at the Japanese Garden in Chicago for her three girls, and the youngest happened to be celebrating her birthday.

She brought a few pumpkins and some seasonal touches, nothing over the top, just enough to make everything feel right for the time of year.

The garden did the rest. Green tones fading to yellow pulling through the trees, the kind of light that flatters every age in the family.

Some of my favorite sessions are these in betweens. Not a full party, not a portrait shoot, just a family enjoying an afternoon together with a nice reason to celebrate.

Three sisters playing around, a mom keeping an eye on everyone, and a birthday girl who'll have these photos to look back on long after she remembers what she ate that day.