A family experience…. {Southern Minnesota Family Portrait Photographer}

Portraits should be fun. Any kind of portrait session should show you for who you are. Who you are right this moment. If you are a goofy family, then you should be goofing off.

Case in point. My sister’s family.

My brother-in-law is the least serious person I know. He makes jokes about everything. And by the looks of it, his son is following in his footsteps.

I love these photos. This shows what their family is like right now. Teenagers acting like themselves. Goofy son and a 16 year old girl. They aren’t looking perfectly at the camera. Heck, they aren’t even in focus. My sister and her husband are. Because they created this. But I am getting ahead of myself, that’s for next week’s post.

Back to experience. I don’t ever want a family to leave a session with me sad or stressed. I want them happy that they chose me, and relaxed knowing I captured them as they are.

That brings me to the “imperfect portrait.”

I adore these portraits. They aren’t perfect, they aren’t the best in the world. But they show a loving family that enjoys each other. These two were nothing but smiles with their new son and you could feel the love radiate off of them.

That’s what I hope to capture at every family session. I don’t aim to get the perfect posed portrait, I aim to capture YOU. Your family as you are in the moment.

Let’s be honest here. These photos won’t win awards, but this family adores them and so do I. they will look back on them when their son is grown and show him how much he was loved right from the start.

This session wasn’t stressful at all. We hiked out to this grove on their property and starting shooting. We laughed, we goofed around, we even added the dogs in a few photos! This is why I love my job. I have so much fun, and want my clients walking away with the same feeling.

The in between moments are important too. On the left is my friend’s oldest. I loved capturing this moment when he was off on his own, waiting to get the photos done so they could go a volleyball game. The lighting is perfection for me. On the right it was in between shots and he helped out his brother. These brothers don’t always get along, but they love each other. The mosquitoes were BAD that day, and the helped each other out. I love that.

My last example is my own family. Photo credit the amazing Rockhill Studio. It is one of my favorites from our latest family photo session last summer. You can’t even see my daughter’s face, but you know what you do see? The love we have for each other. How happy we are to have one another. This is why I take photos.

When you book a session with me, you get an experience. We will have fun, we will go for a walk and find new locations for different photos. If you have young ones, do not worry. I am patient and will do what I can to show who they are in their portraits. I do not aim for perfection, I aim for life.

I have ONE opening for my Michigan sessions in June (8-12). Limited availability this summer and fall. So please contact me SOON to get in the books!