A Spring Maternity Session at Bryan Park’s Azalea Loop

It’s in this setting that I recently photographed a maternity session that stayed with me long after I packed up my camera. A mother, glowing in that gentle in-between of waiting and becoming, walked slowly along the winding path with her toddler by her side. This wasn’t just a session — it was a quiet celebration of this fleeting chapter of life: one child still small and clinging to mama’s hand, another fluttering quietly inside.

Bryan Park is known for its azaleas — bright, abundant, and timeless. The Azalea Loop offers gently curving paths, tall trees filtering the sunlight just right, and grassy areas perfect for laying down a blanket and simply being present. Add to that the unexpected gift of wild buttercups this year, and the entire area felt like a page out of a storybook.

We let the toddler run barefoot through the grass, his laughter echoing in the quiet morning. He picked buttercups, some too small to hold, some that crumbled in his fist — tiny treasures for the baby on the way. The mother held her belly and smiled, sometimes with that faraway look of someone dreaming ahead, sometimes just watching her little one with full, grounded love.Maternity sessions with toddlers are never still. They are about movement, discovery, and play — mirroring the truth of motherhood itself. But here, in this serene pocket of Richmond, there was space for all of it: for pause and wonder, for the softness of waiting, and for the wild joy of a child who doesn’t yet understand how much life is about to change.

If you’re local to Richmond or visiting during spring, I can’t recommend Bryan Park enough — especially the Azalea Loop in early to mid-April. Come for the flowers, stay for the golden light and open spaces. Whether you’re expecting your second child or simply craving a little escape into nature with your little one, this corner of the city offers more than just a backdrop. It offers a place to breathe, connect, and hold onto the beauty of now.