I first photographed this family when Hannah was just a tiny newborn! She’s one of the babies I’ve had that looked EXACTLY like one of her parents. You can click here to see images from their newborn session a few years ago!
When Samantha reached out asking to schedule updated family portraits at our field location, I was SO excited. It’s such an honor to be chosen by families to photograph them, and I SO love getting to work with families again and again. My longest client has been working with me for seven years now, and getting to watch their family and children grow over their years has been such an honor. I consider it a privilege to help my clients with their photography needs, and my goal is to serve them well. We sincerely want our clients to walk away feeling well cared for throughout their experience and know how much we appreciate them.
We sent over the style guide for Samantha to look through and when we followed up to ask if she had any questions or needed any help, she told us it was the perfect resource and was super helpful so she was all set. If you DO need more assistance in planning what to wear, we are here to help as much as you need with that. We can communicate via emailed photos with input and feedback or schedule an in person consult here at the studio if your schedule allows for that. Consults are complimentary to our booked clients, and we are more than happy to spend some time with you to help you pull together the look for your family.
Samantha worked with our HMUA team for her previous session, and she asked to do so again. Hope met her at the studio before her session, and I met the family at the field location that evening. I was so excited to see Hannah again and was shocked at how much she had grown… and at how much she still looked the same from her newborn images! It’s so cool to see how some babies retain all their features while others look like a totally different person. Hannah was happy and excited to be out in the field with her parents,
As a mom of three, I know how overwhelming it can be to plan your session and then have it seemingly go sideways if your child (or children…or partner!) are in a less than stellar mood. My best advice is this: come to your session with a laid back and relaxed attitude. Children FEEL when their parents are stressing out, and guess what happens? They decide it would be fun to push a few of your buttons to see what happens. Putting pressure on young children almost always backfires. Take it from a mom and seasoned photographer: you simply can’t force a toddler to smile and look genuinely happy. Every time you look at your images you would see that the smile wasn’t real and you would remember how miserable everyone was that day because of all the stress that didn’t need to be there in the first place.
I give my little clients the time and space to warm up to me. If they want to snuggle with you, we go with that. Once they’re more comfortable, I’ll quietly give you some prompts of things to do with your child. I also step back and let things unfold naturally to capture your unique family dynamic in the most authentic way possible. I can’t tell you the number of clients who leave a session wondering if things went okay and if I even managed to get anything who then see the gallery and email me with tears in their eyes because they can’t believe it’s really their family and that those sweet moments really happened during. As I like to remind people: I only need 1/800th of a second to create an image. So let them be themselves, follow my prompts, play and have fun…. the rest works itself out. :)
Hannah had a lot of fun during the session hanging out with her parents but there were definitely a few moments where she lost interest and didn’t want to participate anymore. When this happens, sometimes I put the camera down and we play. Other times I call out to mom and dad that we’re going to go explore and let their child lead the way. So many awesome family images are created simply by letting your child be who they are and go where they want to go - and getting yourselves on their level and into the frame. I talk about how my sessions with newborns and babies are very baby led - family sessions are also very child led especially when it comes to the younger ones. I think this gallery will give you a fantastic overview of what to expect during a family session. Lots of FUN, love, and personality. ;)
Want to capture your family just as you are now before time completely slips away and you’re packing their bags for college? Contact us and we’ll chat about your session goals, your vision, and our approach to see if we’re the perfect match for your family photography!
If you're expecting a baby or already a parent and looking for a newborn, maternity, or family photographer, I would love to work with you to create images that you will love for a lifetime. Watch this video to hear about my philosophy and see how I work in the studio so you can determine if I'm the right fit for you. I can't wait to meet you!
Lily Sophia Photography specializes in newborn, baby, maternity, and family photography in Atlanta, Georgia and surrounding areas.
