Best Spring Break Ideas for Families in New Milford, CT

Gilmore Girls Photoshoot Creator Tribe

Family-Friendly Spring Break IDEAS

Near New Milford, CT

gilmore girls photoshoot at River and Rail in New Milford CT

Spring break is the perfect time to take a break from routines and enjoy some quality time as a family. Whether you’re looking for outdoor adventures, hands-on activities, or quick day trips, there are plenty of fun things to do near New Milford, CT. Here are some of the best ways to make the most of your spring break!

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1. Explore Harrybrooke Park

New Milford, CT
Harrybrooke Park is a local gem with scenic trails, a duck pond, and picnic areas. Kids will love running around, riding bikes and meeting the resident peacocks. 

📸 Why You’ll Love It: A peaceful place to enjoy nature without traveling far.

2. Visit The Beardsley Zoo

Bridgeport, CT (About 1 hour away)
Check out one of the special programs or just say hello to all the residents of the zoo. 

📸 Why You’ll Love It: A great day out for the whole family.

Senior Portrait of a girl on the rocky coast

3. Hike at White Memorial Conservation Center

Litchfield, CT
Spring is a great time to explore the trails at White Memorial Conservation Center. Their boardwalk through the wetlands is perfect for spotting birds, turtles, and other wildlife. Make an ice-cream stop at Aretusa Farm in Bantham.

📸 Why You’ll Love It: Beautiful scenery, fresh air, and lots of photo-worthy moments.

 

4. Visit Lake Compounce or Quassy

Central CT
If you love theme parks and roller coasters then look no further than Quassy and Lake Compounce for a fun day out.

📸 Why You’ll Love It: Rides, games and lots of fun.

NMHS Senior Portraits beach

5. Explore the home of Yale University

New Haven, CT
New Haven is a fantastic family destination that offers something for kids of all ages. Whether you’re exploring a museum, hiking East Rock, or devouring world-famous pizza, it’s a day your family won’t forget!

📸 Why You’ll Love It: A little something for everyone!

6. Spend the Day on Bank St

New Milford, CT 
Visit some of the shops and cafes on the New Milford green, check out the newly renovated library, get creative at the Village Center for the Arts, and catch a movie at the Bank Street Movie Theater – Tuesday is discount day!

📸 Why You’ll Love It: New Milford was one of the towns that was inspiration for Gilmore Girls. 

 

gilmore girls photoshoot bank street theater New Milford CT

7. Go Bowling & Arcade Gaming

New Milford or Danbury, CT
Spring weather can be unpredictable, so it’s always good to have indoor options! Head to places like New Milford Lanes Bowling in New Milford or Round 1 in Danbury for bowling, arcade games, and so much more.

📸 Why You’ll Love It: A great rainy-day activity that the whole family can enjoy.

 

8. Take a Day Trip to Mystic, CT

Mystic, CT (About 2 hours away)
For a fun family road trip, head to Mystic! Visit the Mystic Aquarium, where kids can see beluga whales and sea lions up close. Then, explore the historic Mystic Seaport Museum and grab a slice at the famous Mystic Pizza.

📸 Why You’ll Love It: A perfect mix of education, entertainment, and great food.

Planet Photo Blog post on senior portraits

9. Take a Day Trip to  Harkness Memorial State Park

Waterford, CT
For families who love to be by the water, you will love Harkness! The gardens and views are stunning, it is well worth a drive. 

📸 Why You’ll Love It: The gardens, grounds, picnic area, and waterfront are open all year round, 365 days a year.

 

10. Have a Family Movie or Game Night

Right at Home!
If you’re looking for a cozy and budget-friendly way to spend spring break, plan a themed family movie night or game night at home. Make popcorn, set up a blanket fort, and enjoy classic movies or fun board games together.

📸 Why You’ll Love It: A simple but special way to enjoy family time without leaving the house. If he weather cooperates – make it a picnic in your own backyard.

 

This spring break, don’t just make plans—make memories. A custom portrait session turns a fun family outing into something unforgettable.

When you treat your portrait session as a family outing, everything shifts. Kids have more fun. Parents feel less pressure. The laughter is real, and the love shines through every image. At Planet Photo, we help you plan every detail—from outfit styling to location scouting—so your portrait session feels like a gift, not a chore. And when the session ends, your family’s already in the perfect mindset to enjoy the rest of the day.

CONTACT JANET

Photo Shoot Kent Falls CT

Game of Thrones

Planet Photo Tribe

Photo Shoot Kent Falls CT

I have to admit I haven’t watched Game of Thrones!

I am in love with the styling though and absolutely crazy about the costumes and locations – we actually visited Iceland last year and heard over and over how parts of GOT was filmed there, but I felt like I was just too late to the party. Eight seasons to catch up? That is a lot of catching up!!!

My lack of personal watching history did not stop us for recreating a Game of Thrones theme for our Planet Photo Tribe group shoot. We had the perfect location (OK, I admit that I would have liked to fly to Iceland with the team but that was not quite in the budget….but we had the next best thing – Kent Falls State Park in Connecticut).

The falls usually freeze during the winter but you know what a crazy winter we had this year (do you remember our whiteout shoot with no snow?), so it was actually pretty warm on the day of our shoot. Can you even imagine how nervous I was on the drive up there? I was literally holding my breath when we turned into the parking lot. Thankfully, it was snowy, frozen and perfectly Game of Thrones-esque.

We were so excited to have Sue Snow from Deja Vudu Vintage as our stylist for this shoot. She has an eye for detail and a seemingly endless supply of amazing vintage clothes and accessories so she took our shoot to the next level.

It might have been unseasonably warm but it was still a little chilly standing on the ice waterfall so thank you to our models: Zoe, Sam, Cassie, Madi, Olivia and Julia.

I guess I can’t resist the hype any longer. Game of Thrones is the next thing on my binge watch list.

 

 

Photography CT Hamden Hall Skilyn

Photography Hamden Hall CT

Skylin – Class of 2019

The Undiscovered Model Competition Finalist!

The minute I met Sky I knew we were going to have an incredible shoot! She was the sweetest, outgoing girl you could possibly meet with a cute little sister and a really fun mom. When I asked her about her high school experience and interests I was excited to figure out how we could incorporate her love of dance. She wanted a mix of urban and natural beauty so we actually met in Derby, CT. Now Derby doesn’t necessarily spring to mind when you think of a backdrop for a photoshoot…. but it actually was perfect for what we were looking for! Grace and beauty in an urban setting.

All Planet Photo Feature Seniors are invited to submit to The Undiscovered Model Competition and we are thrilled that Sky has made it to the Finalist stage! We find out on Friday if she will be one of the few winners chosen to go to Austin Texas in January for the ultimate destination model experience. You can see all the finalists on The Undiscovered In Print so you can see she is in good company, you might even see another Planet Photo Model – Maddie! Of course I am so proud of them both. All good vibes and luck accepted for both of them!!!

If you are class of 2020 or 2021 then you need to be part of Planet Photo’s model experience! Senior and Teen photography that shows just how unique you are. Drop me a line with Future Planet Photo Model Tribe Member in the subject line and I will make sure you are invited to the informational meetings in the spring.

Now booking Class of 2019 senior sessions!

 

 

Connecticut Senior Photography – New Milford Senior Julia

Connecticut Senior Photography

New Milford CT Senior – Julia

Now that my kids are in high school I am starting to photograph more and more high school seniors that I first met in the pre-school library program or the school playground! How can it be that these little people that I first watched learning to ride a bike are preparing to go to college?

I recommend professional make up for all my seniors. Julia arrived at the studio for styling with her mom and a bag full of clothes. She doesn’t normally wear a lot of makeup so we kept it simple, enhancing her naturally pretty features without overpowering them.  She was hoping for snow for her session and the snow gods obliged with a light dusting the day before.

I can not always guarantee the Connecticut weather 😉 but I can do my best to create and style the look you imagine none the less. Your Connecticut senior photography session starts with a consultation; styling, location, goal for the images are all discussed and we hatch a plan. I do a little location scouting  so that on the day of the shoot we can hit the ground running and let the fun begin!

I had a blast hanging out with Julia and her family and I am excited for the next phase for all these kids.

Make up – Blush Couture

CT HS Senior Photography – New Milford High School Abbi

CT HS Senior Photography

Meet Abbi!

Planning a senior photo shoot around the crazy schedule of marching band, varsity volleyball, college visits and college applications is not easy. But we did it!

I always try to plan locations and styling around each individual client.  I knew back in the summer that Abbi wanted to shoot in the classic New England fall colors, so our date was on the calendar way before senior year started to get super busy. We chose Steep Rock Preserve in Washington Depot as our start point but we were on the lookout for road side locations. CT109 didn’t disappoint and we were climbing into the weeds before you know it!

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Steep Rock has been a favorite destination for my family for many years and I felt just a tad guilty for not having our dog with us. But what an amazing warm fall day…. we couldn’t have wished for better light.

CT_HS_Senior_Photography

Abbi is long and lean (hence the varsity volleyball and basketball….) and she has the most amazing strawberry blond curly hair so I love to pose and photograph her. Her mom had a huge selection of outfits in the back of her car so that we could mix it up and match outfits to the different locations as we went. She didn’t wear it all, but we gave it a good college try!
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I absolutely LOVED the purple with the colors in the meadow, we didn’t even really notice the purple undertones at the time, but as soon as I opened the files in photoshop I knew I had found the winning shots of the shoot. Did I tell you recently how much I love what I do?
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A quick stop at a deserted barn on the way home and our shoot was done. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for beautiful Abbi but I know her family will treasure these portraits of her taken during that crazy senior year.

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Do you wish that you had portraits of your High School Senior or college freshman? Let me know and I can design the most amazing portrait experience for you!

Janet xo

 

Model Photo Shoot Camping Webb Mountain Monroe CT

Model Photo Shoot

Camping in CT

You are either an outdoors person or not. It was a damp Connecticut fall day but Avery, Olivia, Maggie, Sam and Payton did not hesitate to hang out in the woods for the latest Planet Photo Tribe Group Shoot.

I LOVE the outdoors, love hiking, picnics, hot cocoa in the fresh air and s’mores but I have to admit for me this was the best kind of camping…… NO TENT! We didn’t stay overnight but we had an absolute blast hanging out around the camp fire at Webb Mountain Park. Mobile phones stayed in the car so that meant we had fun with a rock, paper scissors tournament, a game of telephone and races down the trail. We even had an apple cider donut challenge!

“Welcome to our fire pit. The s’more the merrier.”

What happens around the campfire stays around the campfire! Except when we plan a group photo shoot camping theme….. Just kidding girls. Your secrets are safe with me!


Does your family love the outdoors? Would a camping themed family photo shoot be a perfect fit to show the fun you have when you spend time together? Let’s start planning. I’ll bring the s’mores!

Teen Photography CT – Meet Audrey!

Teen Photography CT

Meet Audrey!

I was so excited for Audrey’s individual shoot. She is part of the Planet Photo Tribe so I have photographed her a few times before and I know the camera loves her as much as I do. But it’s different for the individual session. For the individual session it was all about Audrey. Her interests. Her passions. Her style. And we picked the locations just for her.

She is a super talented dancer, which of course means she is at dance classes almost every day of the week and rehearsing for the Nutcracker on weekends, but we threaded the needle and made a plan. We met at the studio so that she could raid the studio wardrobe closet and got to work.

Head shots were first on the list. Check.

Teen Photography CT

We added a little make up and we moved on to studio dance portraits. Check.

Teen Photography CTTeen Photography CT

And onto the location part of the shoot. TRIPLE CHECK with a cherry on top! We stopped at a couple of different places, I joke about the best locations being on the side of the road but I am not kidding, sometimes they really are….

Teen Photography CT

Fairfield Hills is an absolute favorite and it was the look and style that Audrey wanted to create so we ended there. Sequins and tulle against a backdrop of an old psychiatric hospital which housed 4000 patients until closing in 1995 …. CHECK!

Teen Photography CT

I hope you love the images as much as we do.

Every teen is unique. I design every individual portrait session to be just as unique. I help to plan where to shoot your session and how to style it. Call to schedule your Teen Photography Session.

Make Up: Blush Couture

 

 

CT Family Photos – Alex and Abby in Harrybrooke Park

CT Family Photos

Alex and Abby in Harrybrooke Park

Abby turned one last month so we got together to celebrate! We started at the house so that Oreo could be part of the action (there’s a saying about kids and dogs but I can’t quite remember how it goes…..) Oreo was a super star and we got what we needed there in no time at all.

CT Family Photos

We headed over to Harrybrooke Park, New Milford’s beautiful hidden gem and we took the wagon for a walk. There are so many studies done on birth order and sibling personality traits that I am sure you can find scientific date to back up almost any theory. Let’s just say that Alex and Abby are pretty close in age and big brother Alex is social and extremely verbal for his age. Abby was as mellow as could be and clearly loved EVERYTHING her big brother did and said. And he has a lot to say!

It is always tricky to know what is going to work for a photo session with such little children. The wagon was a hit and kept Abby in one place and Alex busy taking his sister for a ride. Sunglasses were cute props to wear and to hold and snacking on pirates booty wasn’t too messy (and the pirates booty smiles cracked me up!) Remember if you bring a toy, snack, cup or prop then there is a chance that it will end up in every picture. Pick a small traditional toy or something fun to hold, keys distract for a few minutes but don’t really add to the end result. We played music and sang songs but if your child likes to hold the phone and dance then be prepared to see that phone in the photographs!

Are you thinking about CT Family photos? This is the busy season so call soon for availability!

Woodbridge CT Senior Portraits – Tory

Woodbridge CT Senior Portraits

Meet Tory!

I loved Tory’s senior session. No, seriously, I LOVED Tory’s senior portrait session. It was so FUN getting to know her and, of yeah, she was a dream to photograph.

Tory and her mom came to visit the studio and we talked about her interests; who she was, what made her unique, what will trigger memories of the high school years and we came up with a plan. Now, the planning stage is one of my favorite parts. It’s not just about what to wear and where to go, it is all about who you are. What makes you YOU? And how can I capture that in a few hours in a portrait session?

woodbridge senior portraits
Tory has a danced so we had to incorporate that, I thought the hip hop might be better outside so we picked the outfit and I started to pick the locations. Ballet was in the studio, can you believe Tory’s mom saved her first pair of ballet slippers?

woodbridge senior portraits

She used to ride all the time so we wanted to incorporate that somehow and she LOVES fashion so that crept in throughout the shoot. She was a model for the day and boy, did she bring IT! Thanks to Candlelight Farms for letting us shoot at the horse barn, it was a beautiful evening and the horses were very welcoming.

Tory had loads of great clothes, and I don’t really believe in going out and buying an entire new wardrobe for your shoot, but what girl can resist a little shopping before a portrait session? She found this perfect dress and I am so glad she did!

Tory, I am excited to see what the future holds for you. Good luck in your senior year!

Janet xo

How do you want to be photographed? I would love to help you plan your unique portrait experience. Contact Planet Photo to set up a free consultation!

 

CT High School Photography – Katelyn Class of 2018

CT High School Photography

Katelyn Class of 2018

Can I just start out by saying, I love photographing Katelyn.

CT High School Photography

She has a classically beautiful face with creamy skin and expressive eyes, so the camera absolutely loves her! I have been obsessing about photoshoots in sunflowers for a couple of weeks (I know, I am weird, I get an idea in my head and I just can’t let it go…..) so I got a bee in my bonnet about finding a sunflower field and shooting there. Luckily Katelyn and her mom loved the idea. Buttonwood Farm was a bit of a drive and I have to admit, the closer we got the more nervous I was to see that it was worth it. Thankfully as soon as we turned the corner and saw the rolling fields of sunflowers I relaxed – it was TOTALLY worth the drive!

CT High School Photography

Buttonwood Farm is family owned since 1975, and they’re famous for farm fresh ice cream and growing sunflowers for a good cause. Every year they raise funds for the CT chapter of the Make-a-Wish Foundation selling bunches of sunflowers and inviting the public to experience the sunflower fields over a two week period. I think the amount raised in 2017 is close to $130,000 so not too shabby. The fact that they had about 50 flavors of delicious homemade ice cream just made the experience even sweeter. (In case you were wondering I got coconut and coffee but the sundaes looked out of this world…. Katelyn picked peanut butter flavored ice cream which would literally be my 49th choice out of the 50 but it was her sundae and she liked it. If you are curious, then bubblegum would be my absolute last resort, I could only eat it if I absolutely had to, flavor choice)CT High School PhotographyCT High School Photography

CT High School PhotographyWhat will you pick for the back drop for your next portrait session? Would you choose a natural location or would you prefer an urban environment? I help each and every client to style their own unique shoot.

Amazing Make Up: Blush Couture 

Planet Photo for the ultimate CT High School Photography experience