The Hildenbrand family met me at Milford Mine Memorial Park, four miles north of Crosby, on a Sunday afternoon in October: Nate and Debbie, their daughter Madelyn with her husband Mason and their one-year-old, Violet, their son Brock with his wife Kendell, and two dogs. Three households, one hour, a boardwalk through golden marsh grass and a trail through woods at the very top of their fall color.
I know this family through their weddings. I photographed Madelyn and Mason's wedding at Northern Pacific Center in 2022, and Kendell and Brock's at Ashery Lane Farm three summers later. This was the first time I had everyone together on purpose, with no ceremony to get to, and the newest member of the family along for her first set of family photos.
4:00 PMThe Boardwalk at Milford Mine Memorial Park
We started with the Brays on the boardwalk. Violet had opinions about all of it. She threw both arms in the air and laughed at nothing in particular, and Madelyn and Mason were laughing too before I'd asked them to do anything. A minute later Mason had her up over his head, the two of them grinning at each other with the marsh grass glowing behind them.
Then Nate and Debbie took a turn with their granddaughter. Violet tolerated a kiss on the cheek from Grandma with the most skeptical face I saw all day. That's the one I'd tell Debbie to print.
4:20 PMKendell, Brock and Bennie
Kendell and Brock brought Bennie, their red vizsla, who had his own plans for the boardwalk. For a few frames Kendell was simply hanging on to him while Brock laughed, and Bennie looked back at me with his tongue out like none of it was his idea. Those are the photographs I love handing a family: the real version of trying to sit still for a picture with a dog. The calm one came later, on the stools in the woods.
The best family photographs aren't the ones where everyone holds still. They're the ones where a baby, two dogs and three households are all doing their own thing, and for one second it lines up.
4:35 PMEveryone Together in the Fall Woods
From the marsh we walked into the woods, where the trees along the trail were right at peak, orange and red with white birch trunks in between. With a couple of stools on the trail, I built the whole family around Nate and Debbie: Kendell and Brock on one side, the Brays on the other, Violet up in Mason's arms and a dog at each end. Seven people and two dogs all looking the same direction is a small miracle, and this family pulled it off.
The stools stayed out for each household in turn. Debbie burst out laughing as Nate pulled her in close, and the Brays sat with Violet on Madelyn's lap, both parents laughing while Violet stared me down with total seriousness.
4:40 PMViolet's Walk and Three Generations
Then Violet got her own time on the trail. She walked off down the gravel with a wide open-mouthed smile, then sat down in the middle of it to inspect the acorns, and for a few minutes the whole family just stood back and watched her. Madelyn walked her forward by the hands. Then everyone walked the trail toward me with the dogs on leashes, which is the frame I'd hang if this were my family. Afterward Mason held Violet up against the gold leaves, and the two of them ended up laughing with the exact same face.
I closed with the frames I'd been waiting for. Debbie with Madelyn and Violet, three generations laughing in one frame. Debbie with both of her kids, Brock and Madelyn, laughing so hard their eyes shut. And Kendell and Brock nose to nose against the red leaves, about an hour after we started.
Planning Extended Family Photos at Milford Mine Memorial Park?
Milford Mine Memorial Park is a free Crow Wing County park on Milford Lake, open from sunrise to sunset, about four miles north of Crosby on Highway 6. It's a memorial first: it marks the site of the 1924 Milford Mine disaster, the worst mining disaster in Minnesota history, and the original boardwalk carries the names of the 41 miners who died. It is also one of the more varied places in Cuyuna Country for family photos, with marsh boardwalks, overlooks and wooded trails within a short walk of each other, which matters a lot when your youngest member is one year old.
An extended family session works best when everyone arrives ready at the start time and we work through the groupings in order: the whole family, then each household on its own, then the combinations you'll want later, like Grandma with the grandkids or the siblings together. If some of you aren't comfortable in front of a camera, that's normal. I'll tell you where to stand and what to do, then get out of the way and let you be a family.
Fall dates in the Brainerd Lakes fill early, and peak color doesn't wait. If you'd like to get your family together, reach out and tell me who's coming.
Frequently Asked Questions
Milford Mine Memorial Park is a Crow Wing County park at 26351 Milford Lake Drive, about four miles north of Crosby, Minnesota, on Highway 6, in the Cuyuna Country part of the Brainerd Lakes area. It is free, open year-round from sunrise to sunset, and has boardwalks, walking trails and scenic overlooks around Milford Lake.
The park marks the site of the Milford Mine disaster. On February 5, 1924, the underground iron mine flooded with water and mud from the nearby lake, and 41 miners died, the worst mining disaster in Minnesota history. The original boardwalk is etched with the names of the 41 men who died and the seven who survived, and a dock reaches out over the spot where the collapse began. The site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the county expanded the park's trails and boardwalks in 2024.
Yes. I photographed the Hildenbrand family's extended family session there in October 2026, on a boardwalk through tall marsh grass and then on a gravel trail through the fall woods. It's a quiet public park with a lot of variety in a short walk, which suits a session with small kids and dogs. It is also a memorial, so I keep sessions low-key and out of the way of anyone visiting it for that reason, and it's worth checking with Crow Wing County for any current rules on group use.
My extended family session runs about ninety minutes and covers up to four groupings: everyone together, then each household on its own. The Hildenbrands had three households, a one-year-old and two dogs, and we covered the boardwalk and the woods in about an hour. The secret is having everyone there and ready at the start time, because the light doesn't wait.
Coordinate, don't match. The Hildenbrands chose a shared palette of blues, denim, white, cream, brown and one plaid shirt, so every household looked like part of the same family without anyone wearing a uniform. Against orange fall woods and golden marsh grass, blues and neutrals hold up well; avoid big logos and neon, and give the little ones something comfortable to walk in.
