Unexpected Moments: Embracing Imperfection in Family Photography | Boston Family Photographer

If there is one thing I love about photographing young kids, it’s capturing their genuine, candid personalities, with all of their sweet little expressions. Who doesn’t want to freeze a moment of their kids’ real laughter, and happiest smiling face? But we all know that is not them 100% of the time. Our kids have emotions (LOTS of them). They have focus, energy, passion, deep thought, needs, desires, and opinions. And a lot of those feelings aren’t displayed with a smile on their face, and that’s okay!

I am the biggest cheerleader for letting kids be kids, just because they are unpredictable does NOT mean your family session will be a bust. I promise you’re going to want ALL the genuine silly, quirky expressions to compliment the laughing, smiling ones.

When we ARE going for the smiley photos, don’t say cheese. I know, I know, “cheese” has been a go to since before we can remember. But usually saying cheese is a temporary fix that gets old quickly, and only really results in stiff smiles instead of those natural grins you were hoping for. Family photos are the best time to let go and get silly, and no one knows how to make your child laugh better than you do!

After years of working with families and having kids of my own, I’ve learned the best way to photograph children is to be flexible and observe. Sometimes what you plan for isn’t what you’re going to get, but your kids are awesome! Whatever comes to them naturally during our session is often infinitely better than anything we could’ve posed, especially with littles. Giving them the space to do their own thing works wonders.

Embrace their true expressions. The silly face, the mad face, the curious face, the shy-burys-her-head-in-your-shoulder face. There are so many faces that create picture perfect moments, and they’re even better because they’re authentic. If we set our goal to capturing your kid in their true authentic self, you’re going to walk away with a beautiful collection of fun, candid, lifestyle photos that you will love and cherish forever.

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In home sessions and why I love them | Boston family photographer

Your home is special to you. This is number one. It’s where you create a great majority of your family memories, and it’s where you all feel comfortable. I didn’t actually realize how true this was until we did our own family photos in our home last winter. There’s something about the photos in our bed that just hits 

1. It’s easy. This sounds like a simple answer, but if you have young kids, and you take away the whole element of getting them out the door and into the car or stroller once they’re ready, it’s a game changer. Just getting them dressed and letting them be make all the difference between a stressful session, and a peaceful session.

2. Weather is not an issue. No checking the weather app every hour leading up to our session.

3. We have more flexibility in scheduling a time. This is a big one. We schedule outdoor sessions 2 hours before sunset or just after sunrise. The longer the days are, the harder it can be for families to schedule an outdoor session. An outdoor session at 6PM may have beautiful light, but also may be harder on your kids’ dinner and bedtime routine. Indoor sessions are usually scheduled around 10AM, so no sunrise wake-and-go, and no witching hour meltdowns.

4. Go with a casual wardrobe. Socks and shoes off, get comfy. I usually recommend lighter, solid colors, and very low pressure coordination. And the best part? If someone gets a stain, just change because you’re at home!

Baby's first year: The 4 milestones you want to have photographed | Boston family photographer

New parents ask me all the time - when is the best time for baby photos? Short answer: whenever you decide to take them. Baby’s first year is all around incredible and ever-changing, so don’t stress over photographing them at the “perfect” stage. As a guideline, here are my milestone recommendations within baby’s first year:

Newborn: 5-14 days old. This is the best for those sleepy, curled up, fresh brand-new-baby photos. These are most often done in your home.

3 months: When they start to smile and respond to us is a great next milestone to capture. They may be propping themselves up in tummy time, giggling at us, making eye contact, all those fun, responsive things they couldn’t do as a newborn. I absolutely adore those little toothless gummy grins.

7-9 months: If you’ve followed me for a while you may know that this is my absolute favorite age to photograph. When babies are sitting up on their own, but not quite crawling away yet, and entertained by absolutely everything. I love it. (I also considered this one of the most fun ages with both of my kids). It’s fleeting - they’re going to be on the move in a blink - and it’s really fun to photograph.

One year: The one year milestone is an obvious one. I don’t love it because we get the cutest, most smiley expressions from them, I love it because there’s so much going on with them physically and developmentally, I think it’s essential to freeze time at this age. Whether your baby is taking their first steps or not, they are exploring how to walk and all the possibilities that come with it. They are usually very into mom and/or dad, but also starting to gain their first taste of independence.