ALL YOURS : How to Customize your Family Session Experience

I live in Auckland, New Zealand — stunning beaches all around us. While I do love shooting at the beach for all its natural textures and colors, there’s something about leaning into a family’s unique story that has been exciting me so much lately. There’s a world of creativity waiting to be explored that can turn family photos into something truly unique and memorable.

Imagine this: instead of the usual studio setup or outdoor shoot, you transform your living room into an artistic haven. A paint session with your crew that becomes the centerpiece of your family photoshoot. That’s what Jemma and I decided to do for her family’s shoot.

Jemma is a homeschooling mother, so she wanted to represent that in their photoshoot.

They obviously spend a lot of time creating beautiful art projects at home, so we thought a playful painting session in their living room would be the perfect set-up.

Jemma grabbed some pastel paints and a big roll of white paper. We taped the roll to the floor at let the kids get wild — and wild did they get!! It was so much fun to see their eyes light up when they realized they could paint to their heart’s content, and I wasn’t forcing them to look at me and say “cheese” the entire time.

During a photoshoot, I typically get one or two images of everyone looking at me smiling but that is definitely not my focus. I am trying to capture genuine emotions and raw, pure connection instead of that classic “Christmas card” photo.

So how do you make your family photoshoot uniquely YOURS?

Here are some quick tips:

1. Let your kids have a say in what they wear.
   
   Some people might shudder at this thought, their minds going straight to Spiderman costumes and Paw Patrol t-shirts. But hear me out. There are two ways I suggest doing this.
   
   ONE: pre-curate options and let your child choose. I did this with our photoshoot with Nicki Sebastian. I was purchasing new clothes for our kids, so I pulled up two options for each kid and they decided which one they wanted.
   
   TWO: plan to dedicate part of your session to a “favorite outfit” moment. We can plan this during the last 30 minutes or so of the session. After we document them in the outfit you’ve chosen, we let the kids run off an put on their favorite outfit. Whether it’s a costume or ballerina tutu, the sky’s the limit with what they can wear. The result? Images of their obsessions at this exact age. It’s so special. My 9-year-old doesn’t wear costumes for fun anymore — what I wouldn’t give to have documented him more during his imaginative play years.
   
   Letting your kids have a say in what they wear not only gets them more excited about the shoot, but it gives a super unique and special documentation of their personalities.
   

2. Photograph your family in your own home.
   
   Again, some people shudder at the thought of having a photographer come to their home. It’s too dark. The curtains are all wrong. I hate our furniture. I’ve heard a lot of reasons why people don’t want to shoot at their home.
   
   BUT this is THE THING that will make your photos uniquely yours. Seeing the details of your home — the crib your baby sleeps in, the hand-drawn pictures hanging on the fridge, and yes, even the slight messy chaos of everything — those are the things you’ll want to look back and remember when your kids are all grown up.
   
   I think people hold themselves to a ridiculously high standard now, thanks to social media. We feel like our homes need to be light, bright, and perfectly styled in order to be deemed “worthy” of being photographed. I’m here to tell you that none of that matters. What matters is the safe and loving space you’ve created for your family. It’s a beautiful thing to document — second hand couches, sky-high piles of books and Cheerio-covered floors add to that beauty, I promise.
   

3. Don’t make your kids smile at the camera — let them be silly.
   
   I understand that most people’s inclination is to look at the camera and smile. It’s what we were trained to do when we were little. “Say cheese!!” our parents would suggest for Christmas or family photos.
   
   Like I said, I usually try to snap one or two photos of everyone looking at me smiling. But for the most part, we’re letting the kids be silly or sad or serious during the photoshoot. Documenting their unique personalities is the ultimate goal here. We don’t need fake, forced smiles. We need genuine goofiness, photos exploding with personality and warmth and joy. That’s what you’ll want to remember years from now.
   
   So let the kids be silly. 9 times out of 10, their silly ideas turn into THE coolest and most fun photos from the whole session. Kids have the coolest imaginations and can come up with games and activities we adults never would. So instead of trying to order them to act a certain way, make sure to relax and enjoy your kids for all their wild and wonderful personalities.

Want someone to document your family, as you are, here and now? I’m based in Auckland, NZ but am willing to travel near + far.

Get in touch to book a family photoshoot that is ALL YOURS.