Family Photos For Active Families
So you’ve got a 5-year-old who hates being still and refuses to pose for photos.
Perfect! You’re exactly who I’m looking for. And lifestyle family photography is for you.
Let’s be real. The idea of dragging your entire family out in public in matching outfits and praying they’ll smile at the same time while a weird stranger with a camera shouts, “Say CHEESE!” sounds like less fun than spending a week at the dentist.
But let me tell you a secret: you don’t need perfectly posed photos to have meaningful family photos.
Lifestyle family photo sessions are different. They’re laid-back, flexible, and all about documenting the real dynamics of your family, not some curated version of them. It’s about connection, not perfection. The way your five-year-old makes you laugh when they race full speed down the path at the park. Throwing rocks in the lake together and digging in the sand. Finding the perfect walking stick together. Cuddling on the couch. Sharing a snack together. These are the best times and all of that is the Good Stuff. As a parent of three (now adult) children, trust me on this. These are the kinds of photos that you will treasure long after you’ve lost that awkward fourth grade school photo.
Here are 5 reasons why a lifestyle family photo session might be exactly what your family needs:
- It captures real life, not just camera ready moments. At home, in your own space, at your favorite playground, these are the places that are your unique family history. This is the stuff that tells the story of who you are.
- It’s low pressure, even for toddlers… especially for toddlers. Your toddler is fascinating to watch, and fascinated by the world. Let’s tell the story of them discovering the world right now.
- You get to be in the photo for once. Cause we both know you’ve already got thousands of photos of the kids on your phone. Lifestyle photo sessions are your chance to be in the photos being yourself in a way that your kids will treasure when they’re a little older. They will want to remember what it looked like to be loved by you.
- It documents where you are in your life right now. Maybe your house isn’t perfect, or maybe it is. Maybe your kids’ favorite hobby is ping pong. Maybe your dog photobombs every shot. That’s real life and it’s beautiful! These are the things you’ll miss the most in a few years.
- It’s a time capsule. You don’t walk away with just a handful of pretty but basic posed photos. You get a whole story about who you were and what your life as a family was like at this moment. That’s priceless.
And I’m not going to be humble at all on this point: some of the photos that we make together will actually be art that’s equally at home on a gallery wall as it is on your fridge. Because that’s who I am, and it’s what motivates me to pick up a camera every day. To make art.
Here’s a few of my favorite photos from Whitney and her little guy’s afternoon adventure to the Chatthoochee River Dam and then a Lake Lanier beach.
One thing I’ve learned over the years is that if you’ve got a very busy small person in your life who hates to take photos, just let them be themselves for a while and join them in the fun. It usually doesn’t take long for them to actually volunteer to make a few photos with you.
Be sure to visit my Family Photography portfolio page to see more examples of lifestyle family photography.
