If the thought of a family photo session makes you want to stress-clean your house and silently pray your toddler cooperates – I get it. Traditional sessions can feel like a lot of pressure. But a documentary session? It’s a completely different experience.

Let me walk you through exactly what happens from start to finish, so you can show up feeling relaxed and ready to just be your family.

First, We Just Talk

Prior to your session, you will fill out a detailed questionnaire which allows me time to get a feel of your family! Before we ever meet, I want to know about you. What does your family look like on a regular Tuesday? What do your kids love to do? Is there a favorite park, a beloved kitchen tradition, a Sunday morning ritual that feels like home? This conversation shapes everything. Documentary photography is not one-size-fits-all. Your session should feel like yours. Upon arriving for your session, we just chat while I observe for a bit! What are the kids doing? How are they interacting?

Then We Just Hang Out

On the day of your session, I show up and mostly stay out of your way. I am not going to line you up and tell you where to put your hands. What I am going to do is follow you, watch you, and when something real happens – a giggle fit, a stolen kiss on the top of a tiny head, a toddler who decided the mud was more interesting than mom, I will be there to capture it. You just live your life. I will handle the rest.

What About the Kids?

Here is my honest answer: kids are my favorite subjects precisely because they do not perform. They just exist. They run and they cry and they climb on things and they make the most incredible faces! All of that is exactly what I want to photograph. There is no such thing as a bad kid at one of my sessions. There is only real life, and real life makes the best photos.

How Long Is a Session?

Most documentary sessions run between two and four hours. We can be at your house, walk to the park, take a drive, whatever will allow me to capture you.

What Will My Photos Look Like?

Honest, warm, and full of feeling. My editing style tends toward natural tones because I want the photos to look like you, but make your every day moments feel like magic. And the moments themselves will be the ones you actually remember. Not the ones where everyone was holding still.

Ready to experience a session that actually feels like your family?

Head to the inquiry page to start the conversation – I would love to meet you.