Blame it on Instagram. As I spend my days documenting my daughters’ lives with my camera (or often, my iPhone), I have realized how much of a difference it makes when the photos have a colorful, interesting background. There’s a reason why people line up to take photos in front of the WhatLiftsYou wings in Nashville, and why the Purple Wall at Disney’s Magic Kingdom is an Instagram cult favorite.
There’s just something so satisfying about photos in special places, particularly when the places stay the same while the subjects grow and change.
Today, I visited my friend Stephanie and her girls with Stella and Margot in her hometown of Mason. Mason, an already impossibly cute town, just recently unveiled a beautiful floral mural by artist Chris Garcia. The mural, on the alleyway side of Kean’s, has several larger than life flowers in bright colors.
I knew this mural would make a beautiful backdrop for photos of the girls (the mamas snuck one in, too). And it made me think of all of the other places around the Lansing area that I love to use as backdrops for photos.
Here are some of my favorite spots to take photos. This will definitely be a walk down memory lane.
The barn at the Meridian Historical Village. We live fairly close to the Meridian Historical Village, and often like to stroll around that area when we’re visiting the park or the farmer’s market. This spot is one of the first places I consistently took Stella to take photos. Looking back, it’s wild to see how much she has grown.
The JazzFest/BluesFest mural in Old Town. Old Town is a great area to take photos, but this alleyway mural is one of my favorite spots in particular. The colors and design are bold and bright, and make for the perfect backdrop.
The 4-H Children’s Garden at Michigan State. This is one of those local gems that I didn’t even know existed when I was a student at MSU. Talk about a magical place. I love all of the whimsical colors, the variety of flowers, and special details. There’s a little garden maze, a bridge over a lily pond that feels straight out of Giverny, and butterfly benches. It is a fun place to visit to play and learn, but also has beautiful scenery for photos.
The Broad Art Museum at Michigan State. Whether it’s in front of the building’s futuristic architecture or among the exhibits, there have been many opportunities to get fun and interesting photos of the girls.
