What to expect during a lifestyle family photo session

These days, people are craving everyday moments getting captured and remembered. Sitting on the porch drinking a crisp coke, kids running through the sprinkler, puttering around the house with your spouse and kids on a random weekend. Those everyday, normal moments that don’t seem so special right now will be the moments you wish you could turn back to one day 50 years down the road. The moments you’ll crave when the house is quiet and it’s just the two of you. This feeling for nostalgia is where a lifestyle session comes into the conversation.

Rather than a session where we walk around and pose different ways, during a lifestyle session you receives prompts instead of poses. While there’s nothing wrong with being posed and told to “smile at the camera!”, there’s nothing that makes it inherently special, either. Now imagine if you’re standing there with your spouse and kids and I tell you and your spouse to count to 3 and then tickle the kids, THAT photo will be one you remember. Why, you may ask? Because that photo evoked true emotion; that prompt turned the photo from just smiling, to seeing true joy on everyone’s faces and genuine smiles shining through the photo.

A lifestyle session is designed to prompt rather then pose. To guide you into doing normal, everyday things with your family that you wouldn’t think of doing during a photo session but that suddenly that becomes all you want captured. Prompting you to hold hands and take a walk towards me will turn into the kids getting swung up in the air or playing red light, green light. Playing Ring around the Rosie will inevitably end in fits of giggles as everyone falls down around each other. Holding your kids in your arms may turn into them becoming airplanes and flying them towards your spouse/their siblings.

So during a lifestyle family session you can expect a few things:

1.Expect to move! Simple prompts like walking, playing a game, or snuggling will be the norm throughout your session.

2.Expect prompts, not poses. Rather than standing around stiffly and smiling at the camera, we’ll do little things to help you be relaxed and feeling more natural and forget the camera is even there.

3.Expect your kids to be wild and crazy. I do; they’re kids! I want them to run around and be silly and be themselves.

4.Expect to connect with your family. Sometimes you will completely forget that i’m even there with a camera capturing moments for you, and honestly, those moments are my favorite.

5.Expect imperfect moments. Hair may get messed up, they may reach for you constantly, they may laugh so hard they can’t stop. Small moments you didn’t even realize were ones you wanted captured.

6.Expect to have FUN. Your kids don’t have to be on their best behavior and you don’t have to be perfectly coordinated. You just need to show up with your family and be yourselves.

Stress free family photos are possible!

Family photo sessions are often the most stressful for the mamas. We’re the ones who take care of EVERYTHING: planning the session, finding outfits for everyone, making sure naps and meals align. And then the photos start happening and no one wants to participate. Chaos reigns supreme and the session ends in tears🙈

If this sounds familiar, and you’ve sworn off family photo sessions for good…I PROMISE your next one can be different. It just takes a different kind of prep and a little mindset shift. My Baltimore family photo sessions are fun and happy and chaos can still reign for a little bit. In all the play and the chaos, a lot of the in-between sweet moments happen. And honestly? That’s the really good stuff you’ll want photos of when your kids are all grown up 🤍

Here are my tips for what to do to have a stress free family photo session:

1.Prepare your kids! Let them know what you’re doing ahead of time; tell them you’re going to snuggle, play and take some fun pictures in the day! This helps them understand what they’re going to be doing and what to expect.

2.Follow their lead during the session. Kids don’t need to be still for you to get amazing family photos. Movement is often where the magic happens! Expect wiggles, silliness and short attention spans.

3.Focus on connection, not perfection. Kids know when you’re stressed, so just relax and have fun and they will too! The sweet moments will happen naturally.

4.Make it fun, don’t make it seem like a chore. Plan a treat for afterwards, play their favorite songs in the car on the way to the session, and most importantly let them know they’ll get to have FUN during the photos!

5.Expect real life moments to happen. A little chaos is normal; so are tears and grumpy kids. Kids will be kids. If they need a moment to have a snack, to be held, we’ll take those moments to reset and pivot. It’s okay to pause and re-group with them.

I’m not saying following those tips will give you a 100 percent fool-proof, stress free photo session. But they will certainly help a whole lot and will help manage your expectations and your kids expectations before and during the photo session.

Mama, make sure you save this post for your future self, and while you’re at it, send it to a mama friend who could use it, too 🩷

Summer family session-Havre de Grace, MD

It was hot. It was muggy. We were sticky. But we persevered and got some great photos for the G family!

When C texted me about getting updated family pictures, she said she wanted to do them at the Havre de Grace lighthouse. I was ecstatic because the promenade area of Havre de Grace where the lighthouse is located is a gorgeous area for a photo session. Sprawling lawns, water views from multiple angles, a little beach area, & of course, the historic Concord Point lighthouse!

The little girls did a great job with all of the picture taking; kids will be kids and some of the pictures I just told them to run around or play to get some of their energy out. Overall, they were little champs and I think we got some great pictures of them and mom and dad!