Let me tell you a story, kay? I stopped offering family sessions because I was, ironically enough, totally turned off by the pressure. For some reason, families made me boil over with stress, while at weddings I can calmly create amidst the biggest day of two people’s lives. In hindsight I know why I felt that crazy intense pressure: the vision I had for families didn’t match what clients were envisioning. I wanted to shoot families a certain way, but I wasn’t sure how to articulate that vision–I’d suggest we do it in their home, they’d protest they lived in a dingy apartment with no windows. I’d shoot them at a park they’d never been to and probably would never go back to again. I loved when clients brought toys for their babes, and let them play as they pleased. But I wasn’t in the zone, and I couldn’t figure out what was missing: who can say no to the classic family-in-the-park? I’ve had some time to let all of this simmer. I knew I needed time away from photographing families to refine what I wanted to do. All this “I-I-me-me-my-vision” stuff sounds kind of selfish and maybe a little arrogant and uppity. But this is something else I’ve discovered: when a photographer is in her happy place, photographing concepts that light her up, she produces the most wonderful photographs. Insert photographers-are-artists spiel here. This is the glory of there being so many photographers in the world. You get to find one whose vision resonates with you one million percent. You get to be picky. So if you’re not feelin it, no big deal. So here’s how family sessions will be done, for the best possible results from yours truly: 1. Sessions will be done in your home. There’s just no other way to get your kids feeling as comfortable as they are on their turf, and I’ve really come to believe that photos done in your home make amazing heirlooms over time–something the family-in-the-autumn-leaves shots can’t touch. And it really doesn’t matter one bit what your home actually looks like. If you’ve got a door that leads to outside, we’re good. (Windows help too.) But really. Wouldn’t you just die to see professional photographs of your parents in their starter home, when you were teeny tiny and they were scraping by? It’s all important. Your life is big and … Continue reading Lifestyle Family Sessions are BACK. But!