A decade ago, I started my family photography business. Over the past ten years, my approach to family photos has developed and I have learned so much. My approach to family photo sessions is to always capture your love and connection as a family. There are quite a few ways that I accomplish this during the session. So, although it may feel fun and maybe even a little chaotic, there is a method to my madness.

While every family dynamic is unique, there are some key images that I strive to capture during every family photo session. Here are a few of those ideas.

The only thing that is better than a newborn baby is twins! This family was amazing to capture. The twin baby girls are absolutely precious, big brother is an adorable doting brother, the parents are the sweetest, and the icing on the cake is the adorable golden retriever. I am a dog lover and I own a golden retriever myself, so whenever I work with families with dogs, I try my best to incorporate the dog as best as I can. This is because I know how precious a pet is to the family.

My client recently moved to Long Island from California. Her family, including her parents, still live on the West Coast. She decided that for her first Thanksgiving here in Jericho, New York, she would book a family photo session with her two little boys to commemorate this next chapter in their life. She also wanted to include her parents, who would be in town visiting for the holiday. I just love the idea of incorporating grandparents into photo sessions. After all, they are such an important part of your life.

I have a lot of clients who initially intend to have photos taken of their children alone. I always encourage parents to get into photos with their kids. I especially feel this away about moms. I am a photographer and a mom and I can tell you that although I am an integral part of my girls’ life, there are very few photos of me with them. Most moms are the documentarian of the household, which means we often do not get into the photos with our children. A holiday portrait session is the perfect excuse to finally have those photos with your children taken. You already will be present at the session, so why not step into a few images with the kids? You will never regret doing so and your kids will thank you for it.

The weather here on Long Island has been amazing this month. With the exception of a few cold days, the weather has been in the upper 50s to 60s. In fact, I haven’t been cold once for any of my outdoor sessions and I am ALWAYS cold. I am not complaining because the frigid winter weather is right around the corner.

Moms….I can’t stress to you enough how important it is to get in the frame with your children. Amongst our many roles as mothers, one is the documentarian of the household, which means that there are very few photos of YOU in them. We are such an important part of our children’s lives, yet we often have very little photographic evidence of that relationship. A motherhood or family session can finally give you those photos with your children that you will both cherish for years to come.

When parents contact me about booking a session, they often are worried about getting their child to sit still for pictures. It is not realistic to expect toddler aged children to sit still for an hour for photos. In fact, most adults wouldn’t even want to do this. Instead, it is important to give children the ability to move freely, explore and interact during a photo session. This freedom will help to facilitate natural and authentic moments and expressions in images. It is for this reason, that I feel so strongly about scheduling outdoor portrait sessions instead of in the studio. Quite simply, children tend to feel more relaxed outdoors because being outdoors gives an immediate feeling of freedom. It eliminates all of the pressure fo feeling like the child as to perform for the camera.

September is flying by and the official start of Fall is almost here. This month is one of my busiest months for beach family sessions. It is the best month to schedule that beach sunset photo session for a multitude of reasons. The weather is absolutely gorgeous, the crowds are gone and the sunsets are spectacular.

When this recent client called me to discuss booking a family session on the beach, I knew that working with her would be a memorable experience. During our phone consult we chatted about parenting and life with girls. She had me cracking up throughout most of the conversation and I couldn’t wait to meet her and the rest of her family for their sunset session.

I absolutely adore photographing pregnant women. I think they look stunning and it is such an important milestone to document. This is especially true when your family is expanding. It is nice to capture those exciting moments that lead up to welcoming a new baby into the family.

As a dog owner and lover, I am always happy when families want to include their dog in a session. When my client told me that he recently adopted a golden retriever, I was ecstatic. I love all dogs, but goldens are my absolute favorite. I knew that this session was going to be a super fun one to photograph.

As much as I love photographing families at sunset, this time of day simply is not ideal for some clients. For those with young children under three, it is often better to schedule sessions during the morning hours. You want to choose a time of day during which time your children will be most content because you in turn will be relaxed and it will shine through in your images.

I swear…I feel as though I blinked my eyes and it is now the end of August. It has been an amazing Summer. The weather has been gorgeous. I traveled with my family to various New England locations. Best of all, I was able to photograph some former clients and meet new ones.

I love photographing newborns. There is something so sweet and precious about documenting a family as they welcome a new baby into their home. It is such an important phase and it truly is one that is gone in the blink of an eye. However, I know that for some new parents scheduling a session right after the baby is born is not feasible. Parents may be nervous and anxious, moms may not feel their best, or toddler siblings may be adjusting to life with a new brother or sister. For this reason, I have quite a few clients who choose to schedule a family session around the 3-6 month old milestone.

I first photographed this family when my client’s oldest daughter was around two years old. Since then I had the pleasure of photographing her second daughter and now third girl. Although we have done a few sessions in the past, this was the first full family session my client booked.

With three children under four, it can seem like a challenge to have those family photos taken, but it doesn’t have to be difficult and can be quite fun. I try my best to follow the lead of the children so that I can capture those images you are hoping for. If you are looking for a gallery filled with children sitting sweetly in each and every image, I am not the photographer for you. However, if you connect to images that show your unique dynamic, we are a perfect fit.

It is hard to believe that Summer is winding down. It certainly doesn’t feel like it. The weather has been super hot, which is exactly how I like it and sunsets have been pretty darn awesome.

This recent session took place on a VERY hot and humid August evening. The weather report was all over the place and changed hourly. Although I try my best and despite my best efforts of following weather reports and watching the radar, I can’t always predict what Mother Nature will do. Thankfully, this family is super chill, went with the flow and braved the threat of thunderstorms. This evening was probably the prettiest sunset I have seen in a while.

Although we have plenty of photos taken of our own children and family, most people do not have updated family photos that includes their extended family members. In fact, most of us only have the rigid posed photos that were taken at the last family wedding. As your dynamic changes, it is important to get photos taken that show the unique bond that exists within your extended family.

Let’s face it. Life with kids is chaotic. Between our jobs, caring for the kids, shuttling them to activities and trying to maintain the household, it can often be hard to find the time to do the things we want to do. One of the greatest things about the Summer months is that we tend to have more time. The kids after school activities are done, we schedule vacation time and we tend to unwind and relax more, which makes it the perfect time to schedule a family photo session.

One of the greatest aspects of my job is having the opportunity to watch my clients’ families grow. I first photographed this family four years ago when their first daughter was born. Since that time, I have seen them for milestones, holiday photos, and their second child’s newborn session. I was so excited to work with them again for their daughter’s first birthday session on the beach. They usually do studio sessions, so the fact that we were doing an outdoor family session on the beach was exciting.

Well folks, Summer is officially here and I am ready for it. I photographed this amazing family last year at the beach on one of the hottest evenings of Summer. I was thrilled to photograph them again this year for a sunset family session that took place on the Summer Solstice. The weather was not quite as balmy for this session, but we still had a gorgeous weather that was perfect for family photos on the beach.