I am completely serious when I say that the BEST, most authentic, and most enjoyable family photo sessions are the ones where it is clear kids AND parents are having fun! You don’t have to re-invent the wheel to allow yourselves to have this much fun either, as this awesome family so perfectly demonstrates. Here are my top five tips for making your next family photo shoot as much fun as it should be:

1. Hold the photo session somewhere where you can relax…like at home. I don’t know why, but most families tend to overlook their homes as a prime location for their family pictures. Why pack everything and everyone up and fight Austin traffic and risk potentially bad weather when you could just stay in the comfort of your own home? Even if your home isn’t finished to your liking…even if it’s a rental…even if you think it’s a mess, home is usually the place where everyone feels comfortable enough to come out of their shells. If you have young children, home is probably the safest place, too.

2. Be in the pictures WITH your children! Your kiddos want to cut up and play around WITH you and how can you expect them to be invested in this whole photo session thing if you’re not willing to take part, too? Plus, I promise, 30 years down the road, the photos that your children will look at the most (and perhaps with their own kiddos) will be the pictures that include YOU.

3. Let your kids do what they like to do. That’s easy enough. This mommy told me her boys love their bubble machine and their little bounce house, so you can be sure we incorporated that into their photos. Allowing children to do what is familiar and treasured not only helps them relax and enjoy the session, but it also helps me as the photographer to capture very important memories for them.

4. Dress comfortably! Why are these boys smiling so much here? Um, probably because they’re not fidgeting with itchy clothes and uncomfortable collars. I mean, how cool is it that mom let them wear their very favorite super hero t-shirts? (HUGE bonus points for that decision, mom!!) Even big kids like to wear what is comfortable–notice dad isn’t in a stiff, button down shirt and he looks pretty happy, too ;-).

5. It is what it is. I find that frustrations and tantrums (from kids AND adults 😉 tend to arise during a photo shoot when we’re trying to force something that isn’t there. Just relax and let engage you and your kiddos in fun family interactions and see what unfolds. Lifestyle photography should be an organic process. You can’t expect your little ones to be smiling in *every* single picture we take, but I assure you that if we let it happen naturally, the smiles that we do get will be their REAL smiles and seeing those kinds of images will bring a smile to your face as well.

So again, kuddos to mom and dad and their oh-so-charming boys pictured here for making this the perfect reflection of what family photography is all about! [Don’t miss my favorite bounce house pic HERE. And my ULTIMATE favorite bubble pic maybe EVER HERE.]

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One last thing: I think I have just a handful of openings left for the Winter Wonderland Holiday Mini sessions. And that is just incredible.

Austin newborn photographer

Oh, she has moved in on their hearts and taken over, of that I am certain. What a sweet, sweet baby girl! Even more amazing was that as tough as it can be sometimes to get older siblings to take part in a photo session that isn’t quite all about them, this big brother shared such a sweet and tender moment with his little sister. It lasted a few seconds, but it was a perfect preview of a lifetime of love between the two of them. And doesn’t she have the cutest little pout, too? What a beautiful newborn baby!

A HUGE thanks once again to Katie at Modern Muse Beauty  for taking care of mom’s hair and makeup so she could have one less thing to worry about trying to get ready for their newborn photo shoot that morning. I so wish I had someone to take care of me like that when I was getting my family ready for our newborn photos back in the day. Mom looked refreshed and was positively glowing while gushing over her newborn daughter!

Austin Lifestyle Family Photo Sessions Home: This family photo session once again reinforces why it is so awesome to have your pictures taken in your own home: because it’s so much easier on you!!! Especially when you have two very active twin boys and a precocious but very caring big sister! It was so great to just hang out and relax in their home, using their space, incorporating their things, taking breaks for the kiddos whenever needed. Snack time even turned into the perfect little photo vignette! Most importantly, a few years down the road when they’re out of the whirlwind of the busy, busy toddler stage and fun colorful toys are replaced with smaller, more expensive electronic devices, they are going to have photos like this that capture what their lives were like was when the kids were little…here’s where they played…here’s how they ate, etc. In fact, the images that I love most of my own family are ones that surprise me with unrealized gems when I least expect it: I’ll be flipping through some old files and one image will stop me in my tracks: oh, my word! I forgot how much my daughter used to LOVE this toy.

My favorite playtime image from this family session came right at the very beginning HERE.

Oh, and one more thing: check out how the brothers pulled off the SAME pose laying down on the bed totally on their own and not even in the same room together at the same time. Twin connection!

[Austin lifestyle newborn photo session at home]

I’m not sure if I ever told you this before, but the sessions that sometimes make me the most nervous are those for clients that I’ve worked with repeatedly before. Why? I’m always a bit scared about successfully raising the bar. I think most photographers can relate to this, actually. But, the wonderful part (and this probably outweighs the nerve-wracking part) is that I’ve been able to get to know them more and more over the years and we are certainly more comfortable working so closely together. Our photo session rhythm just comes more naturally and it feels effortless.

Plus, I got the chance to help create and carry on some tradition photos. A few years back when I photographed their newborn son, we incorporated a beautiful blue sari that was presented to mom as a means to celebrate the arrival of her first baby. This time, we were able to revisit those images with her daughter, but she is wrapped in the sari her mom wore on her wedding day.  Now that just gets me all kinds of choked up. In fact, I kept tearing up at the session imagining these very images sitting out somewhere on baby girl’s wedding day (many, many years from now). I. Love. Tradition. My personal fav is HERE.

She was as perfect little princess and her brother was very much the loving and protective prince that day. They are going to have so many wonderful times and adventures growing up together.

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Finally, I wanted to mention mom’s hair and make up. Now, she is STUNNING as it is already, but she is also smart in realizing that with a newborn baby AND a very active little boy to get ready for the session, it’s much easier to let someone else take care of getting herself done up. I cannot recommend enough (and ESPECIALLY for newborn sessions) to hire someone to handle your hair and makeup before your photo session. Trust me, it is such a burden released if you know you are not going to be facing a bad hair day. And, if you haven’t been sleeping for the past few weeks because you just had a baby, you’ve got someone who knows how to make sure you look refreshed but not overly made up Katie with Modern Muse Beauty  knows how to do just that and make moms look like brighter versions of themselves. Good teamwork, ladies! S…you truly looked all kinds of radiant!

I am so glad I had Katie come and help me do my hair and face before our session. As a new mom, it is very difficult to find the energy to do these things yourself.  Katie was prompt, fun to talk to, and made me feel a little more like my usual self, rather than an exhausted and sleep-deprived zombie. I feel she was a key player in making the newborn session successful. Plus, it was nice to have a little pampering! I would certainly recommend her to anyone, especially before a newborn session. 

Austin Lifestyle Newborn Photographer

I very much remember speaking with this mommy years ago just after she had her very first baby girl. I think my schedule was full at the time, but somehow, I managed to squeeze her in and it has been my honor to work with them every year since! Three girls now! Wow! I love “knowing” the girls well enough and for long enough to be able to see similarities and differences in their baby features. While taking these newborn images, I would have flashbacks to the other two sessions…”Oh, in this pose she looks like L. But with this expression, that’s just like T.” Even cooler than that, is having watched each of the two older girls take on the role of big sister, one at a time. Mom and dad should be very, very proud of how well these two have done in their new jobs and how much they ADORE their little sister. It is so heartwarming! When going through their images today, I literally had tears in my eyes, sharing in the joy that is so obvious with these girls and among their parents. And perhaps I was also a little wistful realizing how much their family has grown and changed in just a few short years. The passage of time, as cliché as it sounds, is so very bittersweet.

So welcome to the world, little one! You are the perfect blessing to your happy family and a beautiful soul.

(Don’t miss this sweet interaction between youngest and middle HERE ;-).

You know those kinds of parents who are able to just chill out and let their kids be kids? Well, I was never really that kind of parent, but these two are AMAZING! I LOVED walking through their home and seeing all of the great nooks set up for the boys to play and do their artwork. I also LOVED that they actually were willing to do the majority of their family photo session in and under the water! Their pool was beautiful, but how about those beach balls adding such incredible color? Can’t decide if THIS is still my fav or if THIS one took it’s place…

I think it’s a miracle we were able to make this session happen. I just happened to have a reschedule for the month of April and put out a call that I had some openings. I got an urgent message from this gentleman explaining that we was preparing to ask his girlfriend to marry him and wanted to surprise her with a Pinkle Toes engagement photo session as well. I absolutely loved what he wrote about their relationship and his plans for the weekend and I just knew that it would be an amazing session. He knew she’d be excited as well…he jokingly mentioned that she *might* be more excited about the photo session than the actual engagement, lol. Alissa is a newborn photographer herself and I knew she had an appreciation for photography. It was going to be incredible.

But wouldn’t you know it, the morning I was supposed to do their session, I got THE phone call (at about 4 a.m.) that my sister would be having her babies in just a few hours. I so did not want to reschedule their engagement shoot, but they were incredibly kind and understanding and allowed me to spend the entire day with my sister and my new nieces. I am so very thankful for that.

And so finally, the day came when we could actually get together and it did NOT disappoint. It is such a joy to get to see two people who are so in love and in tune with one another. It’s especially amazing when it happens to be two very creative and talented people. I can’t wait to see what they do for their wedding! (Notice that ring box? Well, he actually had it specially made from an old Nikon lens case! Isn’t that awesome???). We had a fantastic evening together and I felt very privileged to get a glimpse into their life they are building together. And maybe one day in a few years, I’ll get to revisit them + 1 ;-).

Congrats again you, two! You are beautiful people, inside and out!

[Oh, and you don’t want to miss this picture HERE.]

I did have a bit of deja vu coming back to do baby brother’s newborn photo session. Even though we were in a different house, the resemblance to his older brother as a newborn baby was just uncanny! The timing was pretty cool as I happened to show up during a visit from out of town grandparents. Love those side-by-side shots of dad+baby and grandad+baby. Again…those resemblances are uncanny! Baby brother was pretty much unfazed by anything we did that afternoon, lol. Love this shot of his little folded/tucked hand, too. I hope his mommy had a wonderful Mother’s Day snuggling with her two adorable sons!

It has been such an honor and a beautiful journey to get to photograph this family as each of their children reach milestones of “fives.” I first met this young lady when she turned five and I’ll never forget her mom begging me to move her session up as soon as possible because she wanted to capture her before she started to lose her baby teeth. That really struck me because at the time, I just had my boys who were ages 3 and 1 at the time, I believe. I couldn’t imagine the day when they would start losing their baby teeth. I couldn’t imagine that it would be as significant to me as mother as it turned out to be. But thankfully, this mommy prepared me for it.

And now she’s TEN! I cannot even believe our first meeting was five years ago. And look at what a beautiful young lady she has become. Next milestone will be FIFTEEN. I don’t even know how I will be able to hold myself together for that one. And before we know it, we’ll be celebrating brother’s TEN year milestone. Oh, I can’t take the passage of time sometimes.

While this photo session was focused on the kiddos, at the end, we just couldn’t miss out on this amazing sunset, so we got the whole family in ;-0.

P.S. The swing shots crack me up. So very big sis + little bro.

And it did not disappoint. Why? This photoshoot for momma and her twin daughters embodies lifestyle photography. It’s fun! It’s relaxed! It’s documenting the activities that you do in everyday life. Those activities that seem small and insignificant at the time, but become part of your culture as a family. Cooking with your mom in the kitchen, dancing around in your playroom, snuggling up to watch your favorite Michael Jackson music video (Earth Song for the win!) in your pj’s. These are the things that memories are made of! My absolute fav shot from this session is HERE. I wonder, years down the road, what will be their favorite images from this session. Favs will probably even change over time. And again, that’s the beauty of capturing everyday life like this!

xoxo, K. Thank you so much for letting me do this for you and I hope you and your sweet little girls enjoy these images and the memories they contain for years and years and years to come!