Here’s the thing I want you to know before anything else:
I’m not worried about your kids.
Not the toddler who’s decided shoes are optional. Not the six-year-old who would rather sprint directly into the ocean than stand still for five seconds. Not the preteen who’s already told you three times that this is going to be so embarrassing. Not even the meltdown – and yes, sometimes there’s a meltdown.
Kids aren’t obstacles to a good photograph. They are the photograph. The whole point of this is to document your family as it actually exists right now, in this season, with all of its beautiful chaos. My job isn’t to hold that back. It’s to move with it.
So here’s what I actually need from you – and it’s less than you think.
It Starts Before I Ever Pick Up a Camera
Before we talk locations or outfits or timing, I want to know your family.
I send an in-depth questionnaire – not to gather logistics, but to understand how you actually live. What does a good Friday night look like? What are your kids obsessed with right now? What traditions matter? What season of life are you in, and how do you want to remember it?
From there, I build the session around you specifically.
Sometimes that’s a golden hour beach evening. Sometimes it’s your backyard, the farm you’re building, the garage where your kids watch you work on an old car, the ice cream shop you go to every Sunday. The best locations aren’t always the prettiest – they’re the ones that mean something. Or the ones interesting enough to help tell a story that couldn’t belong to anyone else.
There is no template here. That’s intentional.
(If you want to see what that actually looks like in practice, this At-Home Session in North Florida is a good place to start.)
What You Can Actually Do to Prepare
Feed everyone beforehand. Seriously. A hungry kid is a different kid entirely, and a hungry toddler is a full situation.
Bring water and snacks – especially for younger children. We take breaks. Having something familiar on hand makes a difference.
Bring the comfort item. The bunny. The blanket. The stuffed dinosaur they’ve had since birth. It won’t be in every frame, but if it helps your child feel safe enough to relax, it belongs with us.
Pack an extra outfit for the little ones, especially if we’re anywhere near sand, water, or the general unpredictability of being outside.
(If you want to go deeper on building your family’s wardrobe for your session, I wrote a full guide here: What to Wear for Family Photos.)
Bribe freely and without guilt. Ice cream after. A new toy. Extra screen time. Whatever it takes – I have zero opinion on this and full support for it.
And the most important thing: don’t spend the week telling your kids they need to behave. They don’t need to behave. They need to show up. Tell them we’re going on an adventure. Tell them it’ll be fun. Because it will be.
Toddlers
Toddlers run the session. Not me, not you – them. We follow their curiosity, we play, we stop when they need to stop. There’s no rushing a toddler, and I don’t try. What I do instead is stay close enough to catch the moments that happen when they forget anyone is watching – which is, almost always, where the magic is.
Meltdowns happen. They also end. And in the meantime, there’s usually something real and beautiful happening right in the middle of it.
Kids
This age gives you their best when they’re genuinely engaged with something. So we lean into that. Hiking, swimming, building something, exploring somewhere new – kids are natural storytellers when you give them something to respond to.
I ask ridiculous questions. I encourage their ideas. I let them direct things. Some of my favorite session moments have come directly from a kid saying what if we did this instead – and being completely right about it.
My one ask for you: let them be kids. Let them run. Let them get a little dirty. The carefree moments are almost always the ones you’ll come back to most.
Preteens
This is honestly one of my favorite ages to work with, even though they’ll often arrive convinced otherwise.
Preteens are in this strange, tender place – they want to be seen, but they’re also terrified of it. So I don’t push. I get curious. I learn what they actually care about, and I let them warm up at their own pace. The walls come down. The real smiles show up. It just takes a little longer to get there, which is exactly why I give it the time it needs.
Teenagers
Teenagers are thinking about who they’re becoming, not just who they are right now. So I meet them there. We talk about life, their interests, where they’re headed. I treat them less like someone’s kid and more like the person they’re actively becoming – because they deserve that.
Timeless over trendy. Elevated but still authentically you.
Think linen, cotton, soft layers, texture, movement. Pieces that feel like you on a really good day. Colors that complement rather than match – coordinated, not costumed.
And if your kid is deeply attached to something that doesn’t quite fit the aesthetic? Bring it anyway. The skateboard, the rain boots, the Pokémon cards. We’ll find a way to honor it. Your kids deserve to show up as themselves – not as a more polished version of themselves.
Trust the Process
The thing parents tell me most often after a session is: that was so much more fun than I expected.
That’s my favorite thing to hear, because I want the experience itself to matter – not just the gallery waiting on the other side of it. I want you to remember laughing. Exploring. Watching your kids be exactly who they are right now, in this specific, unrepeatable chapter.
So here’s your actual to-do list:
Feed them. Bring snacks. Pack the comfort item. Let go of the rest.
Show up ready to love on each other. I’ll handle everything else.
If you’ve been waiting for a photographer who actually gets it, I think that’s your sign. Explore sessions here or inquire here – I’d love to meet your people.
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