Families

Families come in all shapes and sizes from couples to children to parents and pets and more! Family shoots are incomparable in my opinion. They were a type of session that organically got added to my repertoire. I honestly can't even remember the first ones I did! I was shooting mostly individuals with school portraits and groups I did were typically sports teams...a very different type of family and usually a very structured style formal group shot.

How do I make your family unique, though? This was initially difficult for me to figure out, as I was used to lining up groups of subjects that were similar in height and weight into consistent layers. I loved it, but to me it was not how a family shoot should be created. I wanted to grow and be able to create images that were as unique as the families I was asked to photograph. I spent a lot of time looking for images that stood out to me and sparked interest but we're also loving and looked memorable.

There's a lot of pressure shooting families because you're trusting me with memories! I learned to look at families as a group of individuals, not several individuals that made a unit and that's what changed the game. Shooting sports teams was rigid and they were meant to be seen as a whole, not as independent players. Families are different by far with roles and ages and quantities varying greatly from one person to another as well as one family to another.

When I have a family session I want to capture personalities, even though I'm shooting a group of persons. I want you to look at your photos and see your children's genuine smiles, you're spouse's affection for you, the love you so have for each other. I absolutely am there to manage posing and organization of bodies but I want to get the expressions and capture the energy behind each family being together for photos.

The best part? Silly ones! The most fun images for me to capture are the "1..2..3...be silly!" ones. I get excited telling them to wait until "3" to do whatever they'd like for a true element of surprise! It always makes me and the family laugh and lightens up what may feel like a stuffy shoot, especially for kids and teenagers that felt dragged to this boring thing they have to do. I get the goofy dads and the shy girls, the troublemaker boys and the unexpectedly funny moms! It's my way of both helping to relax the group as a whole and really bring out the individualism of each member.

Family sessions capture children's ages and growing groups. They put a pin in time while also giving the opportunity to create a traditional out of annual family photos where you can watch your group grow and change and get older. I absolutely love repeat families because I get to go on the journey with them - new babies, lost parents, new pets, different hair styles, changing smiles, and new silly pics!!

I've been lucky to have so many families come to me and trust me with their photos. It's special to me to be asked to do them. I love the coming together that the session brings and the joy I can deliver from my photos. My greatest pleasure is shooting families and I'm so grateful for all of you who have put your faith in me to deliver images you'll be able to cherish for years. Thank you all!