There’s a lot more that goes into a family photography session than showing up, finding a pretty spot, and taking pictures. For the Lachapelle family’s session, we had a beautiful sunset, a few different locations to explore, and plenty of opportunities to capture both the classic family portraits and the genuine moments in between.
One of my favorite things about this session was how naturally everyone went with the flow. We moved around, tried different things, and let the evening unfold while I looked for the best light and moments worth capturing.
We Started With the Whole Family
I typically begin my sessions with the big group photos. These are the classic portraits where everyone is together, looking at the camera and smiling. They’re important, and I always want to make sure Mom has those photographs she can proudly hang on the wall.
Once we had those, we started breaking things down. We photographed the kids individually, giving each of them a chance to show off their own personality, and then moved into smaller groupings and different interactions.
I love including individual portraits of the kids in family galleries. They're not just part of the family photo. They're their own little people, each with a personality worth documenting.
We Didn't Stay in One Spot
One of the biggest things that helps me create a varied gallery is movement, and I don't just mean movement from the people I'm photographing. We move locations, too.
For this session, we started down on the beach, moved up onto the rocks, spent some time among the trees, and eventually made our way onto the road, looking toward the sunset.
Each location gave us something different. The beach offered an open view and beautiful evening light. The rocks gave us a different backdrop and opportunities for different compositions. The trees brought a little more depth and texture, and the road gave us that gorgeous golden glow as the sun dropped toward the horizon.
Even if we had stayed at the same general location, I could have photographed the family in a dozen different ways. But changing our surroundings gave the gallery even more variety and helped each part of the session feel a little different.
I don't want you to receive a gallery of 30 photos that all look like they were taken in the same spot, with everyone standing in slightly different positions. I want you to have a collection of images that feels like a complete story of your time together.
The Golden Hour Glow
We scheduled this session around sunset, and the light did not disappoint.
That warm, golden glow is one of my favorite things about photographing families in the evening. It can give images a softness and warmth that are difficult to recreate at other times of day.
But beautiful light doesn't happen automatically just because we're shooting at sunset. I'm constantly paying attention to where the sun is, how it's falling across your faces, and how the light changes as we move.
If the sunlight is too harsh on your face, we'll find a better spot. If you're standing somewhere that's leaving you too shadowed, we'll adjust. Sometimes that means turning you in a different direction, stepping a few feet over, or moving to another part of the location entirely.
You might not even notice all those little adjustments, and that's okay. My job is to find the right light and the right spot for the photographs we're creating. You don't need to worry about any of that. You just get to enjoy being there.
For the Lachapelle family, that meant taking advantage of the changing light as we moved from the beach to the trees and finally toward the sunset.
Posing, Prompts, and Letting You Be Yourselves
I use a mixture of traditional posing and simple prompts throughout my sessions because I want you to have both kinds of photographs.
There are times when I'll ask everyone to look at the camera, adjust your position slightly, and give me a smile. Those classic portraits are important, and I absolutely make room for them.
But I also want to capture the moments that happen when you're not thinking about the camera.
So, instead of asking you to stand perfectly still for the entire session, I'll give you something simple to do. Walk together. Pull someone in for a hug. Interact with your kids. Play around a little.
Then I start taking photographs of what happens.
The prompt gives you something to focus on besides the camera. It gives you a reason to interact, laugh, move, and respond to each other. And because you're busy enjoying the moment, your expressions and connections become much more natural.
Almost half of the images I deliver come from these moving prompts. It's a big part of how I create galleries that include more than a series of posed portraits.
With the Lachapelle family, I gave them room to interact and enjoy themselves while I watched for the genuine smiles, little laughs, and moments between them. I wasn't trying to choreograph every second. I wanted to give them direction and then let the moments happen.
Paying Attention to the Little Things
Even when I'm letting a family interact naturally, I'm still paying attention to what's happening in front of my camera.
I'm watching the light, the composition, where everyone's hands and limbs fall within the frame, and whether a small distraction is taking away from an otherwise beautiful photograph. Sometimes it's a quick adjustment to someone's position. Sometimes it's moving a strand of hair out of their face or asking someone to take a hair tie off their wrist.
I want your photos to look thoughtfully composed, but I don't want you to feel like you have to hold yourself perfectly in place.
There's a difference between guiding you into flattering light and making you feel like every little thing about you needs to be corrected. I care about the details that help create a beautiful photograph, but I also want you to feel comfortable enough to forget about them.
I want you to recognize yourself in your images. I want you to see the people you love, the way you interact, and the little details of your life that make these photographs meaningful.
What I Hope You Take Away From This Session
The Lachapelle family session is a great example of how I approach family photography. We started with the portraits everyone expects, explored different parts of the location, followed the changing sunset light, and mixed gentle direction with the freedom to simply enjoy being together.
You don't need to know how to pose, and your kids don't need to behave perfectly. You don't even need to feel particularly comfortable in front of a camera when you arrive.
I'll guide you through the process, help you find the right light, and give you simple things to do so you aren't left wondering what comes next.
My goal is to deliver a gallery that has a little bit of everything: the classic smiling portraits, the individual personalities, the genuine laughs, and the in-between moments you might not have even realized I captured.
Because a family gallery shouldn't just show you what everyone looked like that evening. It should help you remember what it felt like to be together.
And that's exactly what I want to create for every family I photograph.