A question I often hear as a family photographer here in Long Island for over a decade now, is how often should I schedule family portraits? I have met many families during this time and I see many of them annually for updated photos, but is it necessary to have photos taken annually? As a mom and photographer, I can tell you the answer is, yes. I schedule photos for my own family every year and plan on doing so annually. I realize that for some, this may not be realistic, so I am going to go through some suggestions about when to schedule photos and why you should continue to do so.

There is just something special about the Fall. It is the season for cozy sweaters, pumpkin lattes and fun filled family activities. There are so many traditions associated with Fall ranging from pumpkin picking, apple picking, hayrides, making pies or simply just jumping into a pile of leaves. It is also the time of year that most people schedule their annual photoshoot as a family. Whichever activities you choose to participate in, you no doubt want to create living memories, and what better way to do that than to have a nice picture hanging on your living or bedroom wall?  

This recent session was so much fun to photograph. I first photographed this family for an outdoor sitter session just a few years ago. Shortly after the holidays, my client messaged me inquiring about a photo session for her mother, who was about to turn 70. She and her brothers wanted to gift their mom a photo session of the entire family together. Like most families, the last time they had family photos taken was at a wedding and the photos did not include the grandchildren. Their mother’s birthday was the perfect opportunity to update their family photos.

It is so important to document your own relationship with your children, but also their relationship with their extended family. The bonds between grandparent and grandchild are precious and to capture that bond is a gift not only fro the grandparent, but for the whole family to treasure as well. I can’t think of a more meaningful gift to commemorate a special occasion.

Halloween has come and gone and the Summer seems like a distant memory. As I sit bundled up in my winter attire, I find myself longing for those warm nights on the beach. Although I love the Fall and the holiday season, I am partial to the warm weather of Summer and my busy nights photographing families on the beach. I am finally catching up on some of the blogging from those sessions.

This family is a local Long Beach family and I photographed them on a cloudy, but warm evening in July. I know most people prefer a sunset beach session, but cloudy evenings can provide a beautiful and soft backdrop for photos and the light is always super flattering. Mom chose the perfect attire for a cloudy day session. Her bright and cheery color palette provided the perfect pop fo color for these photos.

We had a stretch of warm weather this past week here in the Northeast and it perfectly coincided with the gorgeous peak of the foliage in the area. November truly is such a perfect time to photograph families. The hues of the foliage are gorgeous and the warm November light adds such beauty to the captures. Images from a Fall session are timeless and can adorn your walls for years to come and be used for holiday cards.

I recently photographed this beautiful family during my annual Fall mini sessions. Their 11 month old daughter is so adorable and was mesmerized by the fallen leaves. Mom dressed her in the most adorable pink skirtall from Zara, which is a favorite vendor of mine for children’s attire. I love the way the pink pops agains the orange and brown tones of the foliage. This sweet baby is already walking and a quick game of peek a boo with her helped me to capture the adorable images of her with a big smile on her face.

I have been photographing so many families with six month olds lately and I absolutely love it. This is the perfect age to capture photos of your child. Babies have so much personality at this age. They can sit up, laugh, play and really interact with the family. Although I love photographing newborns, I have to say that this stage is probably my favorite to capture.

Many of the families that I have been photographing had babies during the COVID quarantine and, therefore, were unable to have newborn photos taken. For many of them, their Fall family photo session is the first time they are capturing photos of their child. I have been making sure to capture plenty of photos of the family together, as well as portraits of the baby as well. Some of my clients will finally be sending out birth announcements using photos from their session.

I first met this family five years ago when I photographed their oldest daughter for a six month old sitter session. Since that time, I have photographed them annually and it has been a joy to watch their family expand and their children grow. I always have a great time with this family and I look forward to seeing them each year.

In the past, I have photographed the family in my studio and outdoors, so this year Mom wanted to schedule the session in a different location an opted for The Planting Fields Arboretum in Oyster Bay. This location is magnificent. It has paths, foliage, florals, several houses and a wide array of locations that work as the perfect backdrop for family photos. Although there is a permit fee required for this location, it is well worth the additional cost.

When this client contacted me, I knew I was going to love her and her family. She was hoping to book a family session with her four month old daughter, who was unable to have her newborn photos taken due to COVID. So, she wanted to book a Fall family session to finally capture images of her beautiful daughter. I personally love photographing babies at this stage. They have such adorable personalities and you can really capture sweet moments of connection between parent and child.

It has been a busy Fall season for me and I have been photographing many beautiful families for their Fall and holiday photos. I am loving every single one of these sessions. It has been a blast! One of my favorite locations to photograph families is at the tree farm. I schedule a day of mini sessions at the farm annually and the captures from this location are always my favorite photos from the season. This location is not one a perfect and gorgeous backdrop, but there is something about the tree farm that facilitates natural connection and emotion within a family. The photos have a timeless look and can be used for holiday cards and hang on your walls year round.

I spent the day last week photographing many sweet families at a tree farm out east. My last session of the day took place during Golden Hour, which is my absolute favorite time of day to capture family images. The light was simply spectacular that night and I was able to capture some gorgeous images.

I originally met this family when mom was pregnant with her second child. She scheduled a maternity session with me in my studio and then we were scheduled for newborn photos in the Spring. Unfortunately, we had to postpone her newborn session because of COVID.

Now that the baby is near six months old, Mom decided that she wanted to schedule a Fall family session. She chose one of my favorite locations for her session, which is at a vintage train museum. Although I use this location mostly for holiday photos, it is also perfect for family photos. The train allows for adorable and classic images of the children and the lush foliage is perfect for family photos. I love when families are open to unique locations. Parks, beaches and gardens are all awesome locations at which to schedule a family session, but there are many other options from which you can choose as well. I was so happy mom chose this particular spot.

Photographing a vintage Volkswagon van has been a vision of mine for quite some time, so when I came across this gorgeous restored 1971 bus, I knew I had to create a mini session using it as the backdrop. The bus serves as the perfect backdrop for family photos.

I rented the bus from Long Beach Photo Bus and I can’t say enough positive things about the company and owners. They hare really designed the photo booth to be a true experience. It is not only available to photographers, but for party rentals as well. Head to their site for more info.

I photographed this sweet family two and a half years ago when their first daughter was born. When mom found out she was pregnant with her second daughter, she contacted me to schedule another in home lifestyle newborn session. Unfortunately, due to COVID, we had to postpone her session. Mom opted to do a Fall family session instead. This was a perfect time to schedule the photos because the baby is now five months old and filled with personality.

Although I love photographing families at the beach, I have to say, I love this time of year equally. The foliage is so gorgeous and I love the hues of the trees, shrubbery and flowers. It all adds such dimension to the images. We scheduled this session at a favorite park location of mine about 90 minutes before sunset. This is always my favorite time of day tp photograph because it is when the sun is at its softest. What is nice about this particular location is that because of the abundance of trees, I can also shoot throughout the day.

It is now officially the Fall and the weather has cooled off significantly. I had my first pumpkin spice coffee of the season, decorated my home for Halloween and have begun shooting my holiday mini sessions. Even though Fall seems to be in full swing, I still had time for one last beach sunset session this month on a warm and mild September night.

This client had her third baby six months ago and was not able to have a newborn session due to the COVID closures. She decided that she wanted to get some updated family photos and wanted her son to finally have his photographic debut, so she scheduled a family session with me in late September.

Although Summer is officially over, the weather the past few weeks has been spectacular. We had a few days of cold weather and then a stretch of 80 degree days crept in. I welcomed the warm weather, not only because I prefer warmer days, but also because I had a few nights of family beach sessions on my calendar for this month.

This client was originally on my calendar for a newborn session in the Spring. Due to the COVID closures, I was unable to photograph her, so I was super excited to finally be able to meet this family and capture some two month old photos of her baby. We originally had our session scheduled a few days earlier, but the weather was a frigid 62 degrees, so we decided to use the rain date instead. We made the right choice because not only was the weather spectacular, but so was the sunset.

Little Miss V was an absolute blast to work with. She was such a super cooperative child and sat for all of the posed shots that I took at the start of the session. Once it was time to move down to the shore, she was playful and silly, which is exactly what I want to happen at that point of the session. I always prefer the playful and candid captures from these family sessions.

If you haven’t noticed it yet, the recent forest fires out west have created some hazy skies over the past week. Consequently, the sunset has quite a different look to it lately. I am not complaining because I absolutely love the dramatic look that this unique sky creates.

I usually shoot at golden hour, which is the hour right before sunset, but because of the haze created by the fires, this recent session turned into a “blue hour” session, which is the 20-30 minutes that follows sunset. This time of day is equally as gorgeous. The light is soft and filtered, the sky has a blue and pink hue and it often creates for very visually interesting images.

I went to high school with this recent client and both she and her twin brother are amongst the funniest and sweetest people I know. After photographing this beauty with her family, I realized that her four year old daughter inherited that same gift of humor. Dad also was a hoot to work with. Seriously, I don’t think I have ever had more fun during a session.

Little Miss V was an absolute blast to work with. She was such a super cooperative child and sat for all of the posed shots that I took at the start of the session. Once it was time to move down to the shore, she was playful and silly, which is exactly what I want to happen at that point of the session. I always prefer the playful and candid captures from these family sessions.

When mom originally contacted me to schedule her Fall family session, I knew we had to start the session at her gorgeous historic farm home; in particular, the breezeway entrance to the home. Although I love photographing families at scenic locations, it is always nice to capture them in their own home. It creates a more personal look for the session and it is another way to capture all of those precious memories. It is nice to have old photos that show how your home has evolved and changed over the years.

We started the session with some images of Mr P in his big brother shirt. Mom and Dad are expecting a baby boy in March, so they wanted to capture a few images to announce and share the great news and Mr P happily smiled for these photos. Like all toddlers, big brother was super active during the session and that is exactly what I want. I love images that capture children on the go because they are always the most natural images. Even though big brother was busy during the session, we were able to capture some cuddly and snuggly shots with mama and awesome family portraits too.

Most families who book me have younger children, but I do also photograph teenagers. In fact, prior to owning my business, I was a high school English teacher; so, I am very familiar with how to interact with this age group. Capturing family portraits is important to do at every stage of your child’s life, but I would argue that it is even more important to schedule a photo session when your children are in high school and before they head off to college.

Most families who book me have younger children, but I do also photograph teenagers. In fact, prior to owning my business, I was a high school English teacher; so, I am very familiar with how to interact with this age group. Capturing family portraits is important to do at every stage of your child’s life, but I would argue that it is even more important to schedule a photo session when your children are in high school and before they head off to college.

I know many of you moms with adolescents have some trepidation about scheduling a family session at this phase. You might be thinking, “my child would never smile for the camera” or “there is no time to schedule a session because of all of the sports/activities”. I implore you; please make the time to schedule a session; if not with me, with any photographer. If weekends are too hectic for you because of activities, you can schedule one on a weeknight or even a weekday when the kids have off from school.

The weather this September has been AMAZING! I have been loving every second of it and I have been busy doing as much outdoors as possible. I want to soak up every last second of the remainder of the this good weather, which includes lots of outdoor photoshoots. I spent a good deal of the Summer photographing families and children on the beach and I am happy to start shooting some Fall sessions at my favorite park location.

Many families have been scheduling family sessions in place of the traditional first birthday portrait session. I love this trend because you not only get images that commemorate your little one’s first birthday, but you also will have images of you interacting with your child that you will treasure forever.

I love that so many of my clients have been opting to do family sessions in place of the traditional cake smash photo session. A first birthday is the perfect milestone to update those family photos. I often encourage my clients to get into the frame with their children and this is especially true when a client opts to do an outdoor session in place of the studio.

I recently photographed this family, whom I first met 11 months ago when I photographed them in their home for a lifestyle newborn session. I loved that I was able to see how much baby M has grown over the year and she was an absolute delight to photograph. She was all smiles and giggles throughout the session. I usually schedule my sessions an hour before sunset, but in the Summer months this time of day can be problematic for children because sunset coincides with bedtime. I can work around that time of day and shoot an hour or even an hour and a half earlier by scheduling the session at an outdoor location that provides lots of trees to filter the light. I am glad we moved the start time for this session because our birthday girl was so happy and I was able to capture some really sweet moments.