By show of hands, who's excited for the warm weather?
*Insert me raising my hand* Warm seasons bring excitement and and a greater appreciation for the world! Everyone is outside gardening, playing, and loving the weather. I know I've been spending as much time outside as possible! There's something about being in nature that's so comforting :)
Warm season also means photo season! All the excitement and the beautiful colors naturally put photos on the mind. We take photos of and with our loved ones and start thinking about when to get family photos. But with so many kinds of photoshoots how do you know which is the one you're looking for? In this post, my goal is to step you through the sessions I offer and hopefully give you a better picture of the session that's right for you! (Pun intended.)
Lifestyle
This one is my love and passion so I'm may be biased. But I do 100% believe that a lifestyle session can be a good fit for any individual or family! The goal of lifestyle photography is to capture your life as accurately as possible, in an artistic way. In other words, the goal is to capture natural moments that are part of your life. Because this genre is so centered around what's important to you, you can really make it look like whatever you want! One family I photographed wanted to capture how they play together so we went to a park they go to often. Another family wanted to shoot in their home so we captured the love they have for each other there! This session is for you if you've ever thought "I wish I could stop time."
One question I often get about lifestyle photos is "how do I pick a moment to capture?" I wrote an in-depth answer to that question here but in short, pick any memory that is valuable to you! What is a part of your life that you want to remember? Something that makes your heart smile? What is something that is unique to you or your family? I could go on but the point is to pick something that is special
to you.
Family
Family sessions are for families who love a more traditional look! This session is probably what you automatically think of when you think "family photos." You'll pose all together in multiple pairings and preserve your family for future generations to see! These kinds of photos are special because it focuses on showing growth in a family. You'll see each family member growing up and see new family members coming in! These can be a great way to measure milestones in a timeless way.
A family session is right for you if you love how traditional family photos look. It would also be a good fit for you if you have a large family or want to bring in multiple generations! These shoots start at an hour long so we'll have plenty of time to capture everybody together. You can also pick various locations for these photos. Parks are classic because they have a lot of space and are beautiful! Other locations ideas could be at your house if you have a large enough yard, by a body of water (like a river, or on a pier), or in a well lit building. The only real limiter for location is space to fit the size of your family!
Homeschool
Homeschool sessions are a session type I just recently started offering! The demographic for these sessions are (naturally) homeschoolers and homeschool families. I offer two different kinds of homeschool photos: In-home sessions and Homeschool Picture Day.
In-home sessions are meant to capture what a given school year looks like in the life of a homeschool family! As a former homeschooler, I know that each year looks a little different. Why not document the education process? These are similar to lifestyle photos in that the goal is to capture how your family does school. I'll come to your house (or wherever you all normally do school) and document how each student is learning that year. This sessions type is for you if you want to document the way your kids are learning and growing!
The goal of Homeschool Picture Day is to give homeschool families more traditional school photos of their students! It's a one day event where families can book a time slot to get portraits of their students separately, in sibling pairings, and all together. I only have two of these sessions a year in the spring and fall. The spring session for this year is coming up in just a few weeks on June 10th!
As we head into summer, many homeschool families will be taking a break as well. But if this is a session you're interested in, don't let that stop you from squeezing in an in-home session before the end of the school year! Every homeschool family is different and your homeschool process is
worth documenting.
Engagement
Engagement sessions are for any engaged couple! I love these sessions because they capture the joy that comes from being engaged and looking forward to marriage. I also love how customizable these sessions are to the couple! You can pick any theme based on how you two are together or things you like to do. Love hiking? Have your session in a wooded area. Love going to the movies? Find a classic theater and take photos outside of it! You can also theme it around locations that are particularly special to your relationship. My husband and I had our engagement session done in the winter in Vermont because we both grew up and fell in love with each other there!
If you're looking for a more in-depth look at engagement sessions check out my blog post about it here! In that post I go over how to pick a location, what kinds of outfits to where and how to pick the overall style of your session. The bottom line is to center your session around who you are as a couple. The goal is to capture your love for each other in photo form!
No matter what kind of session you're looking for, photography is a phenomenal way to preserve the moments in your life. In the words of Dorothea Lange:
"Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still."
—Dorothea Lange
