Family Photo Ideas & Styles
Less posing. More of you.
I get asked all the time how I like to photograph families, so here is my honest answer: find a place you love, show up as yourselves, and let the good kind of chaos happen. I will give you a little direction here and there, but my favorite family photos are almost never the ones where everyone is staring at the camera. They are the ones that take you right back to how it felt to be together that day.
Here are the styles I shoot most, the places I keep coming back to, and a few things I have learned (sometimes the hard way, usually with my own kids) about getting photos you will actually want to hang on the wall.
Three ways I photograph families
Pick the story you want to tell
1. The family adventure session
This is my favorite, and it is exactly what it sounds like. We pick a spot that means something to you, like the beach you go to every summer, the trail your kids know by heart, or the rocks they always want to climb, and we go explore it together. I follow along, nudge you into good light, and catch everything in between: the crab hunting, the piggyback rides, the moment somebody falls in the water and everybody loses it laughing.
Adventure sessions feel like a day out, not a photo shoot, and that is why they work.
2. Documentary, right where you are
Sometimes the best backdrop is your own kitchen. Morning snuggles in bed, pancakes all over the counter, the new baby being passed around to big brothers. I love non-traditional family portraits, and documenting a regular day at home gives you the photos you will treasure most in twenty years, because that is the life you are actually living right now.
3. A little arranging, then let it go
Yes, you can still have the photo for the holiday card. I am not big on stiff, posey-posey portraits, but I do not mind a little arranging to start. I will put you somewhere beautiful, get everyone close, and then give you something to do: a secret to whisper, a tickle fight, a race to the tree line. You get your classic family shot, and the photos right after it are usually the ones you fall in love with.
“My favorite photos, even the posed ones, are the ones that take me back to the day and how I felt about being together as a family.”
Places I love for family photos
Southern Rhode Island & the Connecticut shoreline
Misquamicut Beach, Westerly
Wide open sand, soft evening light and plenty of room for little ones to run.
Barn Island, Stonington
Easy trails, salt marsh and golden grasses. Perfect for maternity sessions and family pups.
Beavertail & Jamestown
Dramatic rocks, big sunsets and a lighthouse for the grand finale.
Watch Hill & the beach clubs
Classic New England charm, sea breeze and a little bit of glam.
What I have learned
Tips for photos you will love
Dress for comfort first
If your kids are in itchy, stiff clothes, they will act like it, and honestly so will you. Choose a soft color palette that coordinates without matching, add texture and movement (flowy dresses photograph beautifully at the beach), and skip anything that needs constant fixing.
Feed everyone before we start
Nobody has ever had a great family session while hungry. A snack right before, and one stashed in your bag for later, can save the day. So can a favorite toy for the littlest ones.
Let them play
The more your kids get to run around before, during and after, the less it feels like something they have to do, and the better the photos get. If they want to throw rocks in the ocean for ten minutes, let them. I promise I am shooting the whole time.
Parents, look the way you want to look
If you spend the session pointing at me and saying “look at Bridget!”, I end up with a lot of photos of you pointing. Instead, relax and look at your kids the way you want to remember looking at them. Catching the kids when they glance my way is my job.
Plan around the light
The hour or two before sunset is magic here on the coast: warm, soft and flattering for everyone. For little ones who melt down by dinnertime, early morning light is beautiful too, and the beaches are empty.
Have fun. Really.
What good is a family photo if all you remember is how your sweater itched and nobody would cooperate? Treat the session like an outing you would have planned anyway. The joy shows up in the photos.
Ready for your family adventure?
Tell me a little about your crew and the places you love, and we will plan a session that feels like you.