Family Session

With few exceptions, our session will take place outside and in a mutually agreed upon public location.

This is most often a park, but I do have some other locations in mind if that’s not your style (including some urban locations and landmarks). We will usually try to choose a place that will give us multiple options for backgrounds during your session and that will provide us with some beautiful backdrops. If you have suggestions about locations, don’t be shy! Speak up! If the location wont work very well then I will warn you of that…. but many of my favorite locations were originally client inspired!

Some clients want photos done at their home, and that is perfectly fine. Other clients request indoor sessions for children using studio lighting and I do that as well. However, what I specialize in is natural light photography. I rarely use a flash set up for my sessions unless we are shooting studio style in your home or mine.

My style is a mixture of lifestyle and posed photography.

I will try to capture a lot of photos of my subject(s) interacting, having fun, walking around, etc. I will also spend some time trying to use some posing ideas to get an interesting, yet more traditional family photo. If you want something else, feel free to ask! Input from you on what you want your resulting set of images to look like is very helpful to me when planning/conducting your session.

Our session will usually last between 1-2 hours.

Honestly, I tend to run on the long side of this… it makes for a less stressful session if we give ourselves permission not to rush and to spend a couple of hours together. Depending on the type of session we are doing, we may be shooting at more than one location. Most often we are at least covering a few spots within a large park and will want to allow time to get around.

[*Due to the length of the sessions, please bring snacks (especially if you have little ones in your group) in case someone is hungry.]

The best time of day to do outdoor sessions is typically in the few hours before sunset or in the couple of hours following sunrise.

This does not mean that I never do sessions at time other than these, but I am aware that these time lend themselves to finding some beautiful light and I usually strive for that.

I like to personalize my sessions by asking clients to bring something that would make sense to have in your photo with the person/people being photographed.

If this is a child/family, I suggest bringing their favorite lovey or stuffed animal or their favorite book. I often take a “break” in posing to incorporate these during a moment of play or reading and these are often some of our favorite shots.

For couples, I find that its fun to incorporate something that they have in common or that they might do together. Reading books, playing scrabble, having a picnic, taking a walk, are just some examples.

Seniors are more used to this and will often come with something that they feel represents their interests at that time. If you play music, bring your guitar. If you draw, bring a sketch book with some of your work and a pencil. If you participate in anything in school that you wear a uniform for, you may want to wear it for a small portion of your senior session.

Maternity sessions can be fun because parents will often bring a small pair of shoes or some blocks or something that they are saving for the sweet baby who’s arrival they are awaiting.

Regardless of what kind of session we are doing, we will discuss some of these details beforehand and come up with some fun ideas for things to do during your shoot.

Get ready to laugh, snuggle up, and have fun!

I am known for making my clients snuggle and gaze into each others’ eyes. This may sound silly, but I find that this kind of connection loosens clients up and makes them laugh…. and if I can make my clients feel like their photo session was a fun experience and their images capture them, then I am reaching my goal.