Family Photos That Feel Like Your Family

The best family photos aren't necessarily the ones where everyone is looking at the camera and smiling perfectly.

They're the ones that feel familiar. The way your toddler reaches for your hand. The face your child makes when Dad gets them laughing. The way siblings pile on top of each other even after being asked approximately twelve times to give each other a little space. Those are the things that make your family yours, and they're exactly what I want to preserve during a family photography session.

One of the biggest worries parents have before family photos is whether their children will cooperate.

The good news? I don't need them to. Kids aren't expected to arrive ready to pose, smile on command, and follow directions for an entire session. In fact, some of my favorite photographs happen when we stop trying to make kids do exactly what we want. We'll get the more traditional family portraits, of course. We'll also make room for movement, playing, snuggling, exploring and all of those little interactions that happen naturally when you're together.

There's certainly a place for posing. A little direction helps everyone look their best and keeps a photograph from feeling chaotic. But once everyone is in the right place, I want something real to happen. I might ask you to walk together, pull your little one in close, whisper something silly, or let the kids run ahead. These simple prompts give you something to do instead of standing there wondering where to put your hands. The result is a gallery that feels polished without feeling stiff.

Maybe you have one child who wants to be in the middle of everything and another who takes a little while to warm up. That's okay. I don't want to photograph a version of your family where everyone suddenly has the same personality for an hour. Quiet kids can stay close to Mom. Busy toddlers can move. Silly siblings can be silly. Those little differences are part of what you'll want to remember.

Some of my favorite family photographs happen between the photographs parents think we're taking.

It's your child resting their head on your shoulder. Dad reaching down to fix a shoe. A toddler grabbing both of your cheeks. Siblings walking away hand in hand. They're tiny, ordinary moments. But years from now, they may be the photographs that bring you right back to what this season of your family actually felt like.

My job is to give you direction when you need it, step back when you don't, and create photographs that are beautiful without losing the personalities and relationships that make your family unique. Because someday, you're not going to want to remember whether everyone behaved perfectly for family photos.

You're going to want to remember them exactly as they were.