Have you been thinking about booking a family photo session for a while now? Maybe since last Christmas, or since your youngest started walking, or since someone shared heartwarming family photos with you and you thought ‘I want that for us too’.
But somewhere between the idea and actually booking, a little voice creeps in.
- What if the kids don’t cooperate?
- What if we look awkward?
- What exactly even happens at one of these things?
I hear this from so many families I work with. And it’s completely understandable. Booking something you have never done before, or haven’t done in a long time, can feel really daunting. Especially when you don’t know what it looks or feels like.
So today I want to pull back the curtain entirely and want to show what a family photo session with me actually looks like, from the very first message to the moment you hold your album in your hands.
Expect no surprises and no stress. Just a really lovely experience you will want to repeat every year.
It starts with a conversation
Before anything else, we talk to get to know each other a little.
I want to know about your family. What makes you click. What makes you laugh. Whether your little one needs time to warm up to new people or charges straight in. Whether you have a dog you would love to include. Whether your partner is secretly dreading this (don’t worry, I hear that a lot, and I have ways to change that).
This conversation also helps us choose the right location for your family, and find a time of day when the light is most beautiful. For most outdoor sessions, that is either the morning or the couple of hours before sunset, for that gorgeous golden-hour light.
Before the session: getting ready together
Once we have confirmed your session, I provide everything you need to feel prepared.
I will meet you at your home for a lovely chat. Together, we’ll find a wall or space in your home where your family memories can shine; I get to play with the kids; we think about activities you can do during your session. We’ll also choose outfits that work beautifully for you. Soft colours, comfortable fabrics, clothes your kids can actually move in. Whatever you prefer and feel comfortable in.
I also give you a few gentle tips about preparing the kids. Including one that surprises many parents: please don’t promise the children ice cream or treats before the session as a reward. I know the intention is kind, but what tends to happen is that after a few minutes or photos, they are already asking for their end of the bargain and are done with everything else. And that’s not what we want, right?
Other than that? You do not need to prepare a single thing. I handle everything else. Nothing is rushed. I want you to feel like you are planning a lovely family outing, because that’s exactly what this is.
The day of the session
What you actually need to know about the day itself: it feels nothing like what you might imagine.
We meet at the location and we simply start exploring. I won’t ask everyone to line up and smile. There is no counting to three. There are no poses that feel stiff or unnatural. I walk with you. I laugh with the kids. I might suggest a game or an activity. We let things unfold.
For the first few minutes, most families feel a tiny bit self-conscious. That is completely normal. And to be honest, I feel a little like that too. But it passes quickly. By the time the children have found something interesting to explore, started chasing each other or initiated a game only they understand, everyone has forgotten about the camera. And that is when I start working.
What I’m actually doing while you play
While your family is being themselves, I am moving quietly around you, watching for moments.
The way your child reaches up for your trusted hand. The look your partner gives you when one of the kids says something funny. The cuddle that happens spontaneously between siblings.
These are not posed. I cannot plan them. These are authentic moments for which I am ready.
Having said that, I do offer gentle direction throughout as well. I might ask you to walk together toward me, or suggest a little activity that brings everyone close. But it never feels like a photo shoot. It feels like we are all just spending a lovely afternoon together.
Sessions typically last between one and two hours, depending on what we have planned. Long enough to settle in and find beautiful moments. Short enough that even the smallest children stay happy and engaged.
What if the kids don’t cooperate?
This is the question I get most often. And my honest answer is: it doesn’t matter as much as you think.
In almost 14 years of photographing families (alongside years as a nurse and a mom myself), I have worked with every kind of child. Shy ones who hide behind parents for the first twenty minutes. Wild ones who will not stop running for a single second. Toddlers who have a meltdown halfway through. Babies who are simply not impressed.
All of it is part of the story. And all of it, I know how to work with.
So please, come as you are. Messy and imperfect and beautifully real.
Real life. Real love. Real family.
After the session: your photo reveal
After we wrap up, you go home and wait. This part requires a little patience, and I promise it is worth it.
Your photos are usually ready within two to three weeks. I carefully go through every image from your session and select the very best ones. I will then show you the result, in the comfort of your own home, in a curated slideshow, accompanied by music.
And yes, I expect tears 🙂
From there, I also guide you through the process of selecting your favourites for printing. Whether that is a custom heirloom album, wall art for your home, or both. Because as I always say: photos on a screen are lovely, but photos displayed in your home are the ones that change how you feel when you walk into the room every morning.
The part nobody tells you
Here is something I want to share, because families (and especially dads) tell me this again and again after their session:
They had no idea it would feel that good.
Not just the photos (though yes, those too). But the actual experience of being together: phone-free, fully present, doing nothing but playing and laughing and connecting as a family for an hour or two.
In the busyness of everyday life, we rarely give ourselves that. A family photo session is, in many ways, a gift to yourselves. Quality family time. It’s not just a record of how you looked, but a memory of how you felt.
That is what I want for every family I work with.
If you have been sitting on the idea of booking a session and this has finally answered the questions keeping you on the fence, I would love to hear from you.
