It all started with a text back in February. Cody was planning an epic surprise for Darcy’s 30th birthday and wanted me to be there to capture the excitement. He was planning to have her brother, sister-in-law, two nieces, and parents fly to Albuquerque to surprise Darcy for her big day. As a fellow military family, they don’t get to spend nearly enough time with their extended family. Combine that with the challenges that 2020 presented and it had been almost two years since this whole crew had been together. Cody wanted to make this milestone birthday extra special for her and I was so excited to be a small part of it. A Sandia Crest session, friends, cupcakes, … what’s not to love!?

Albuquerque Family Photos | Sandia Crest

Everyone who visits Albuquerque has to experience the Sandia Peak Tramway. A short 15-minute tram ride takes you to the top of the peak and provides beautiful views along the way. Since they wanted to do this with the whole family anyway, Cody suggested that we do pictures at the top of the mountain. He couldn’t have asked for a more perfect location! We were lucky to be up there between a couple thunderstorms in the most opportune conditions. It was cool, but not cold, and there was hardly any wind. Given what it’s been like the few other times I’ve been up there, this was a pleasant surprise.

We started with a picture of the whole family, which included four kids under the age of four. They did great, likely because they knew what their reward was if they smiled for me. We moved onto some pictures of each individual family, followed by some shots of grandparents with the grandkids. After the kids had enough, we broke out the cupcakes from Smallcakes Cupcakery and Oh. My. Goodness. They were amazing! From the chocoholic to the birthday cake to the red velvet, there wasn’t a bad option. Watching the kids devour them on the top of the mountain was just the best.

This was an incredibly joyful session and I hope you can feel that when you look through these images. I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face as I edited them! Please feel free to reach out to me if you’re interested in a Sandia Crest session or any other type of shoot. It’s a plus if surprises and/or cupcakes are involved!