Family Photography Half Sessions
I document my kids’ birthdays the way most parents do: with a camera in one hand and a cake in the other.
Birthdays are especially important milestones in our house. They say “we’re glad you’re here, and we celebrate your arrival to our world every year with gusto and much joy.” I’ve never failed to document my kids’ birthdays with my camera.
I’m also never in the photos.
My kids will see what I saw on their birthdays: their excitement at the cake, the apprehension of having people sing at them, the surprise and elation at the gifts they receive from their generous friends and relatives.
They won’t see what they saw, though, which was their mom, beaming at them, leading Happy Birthday in the wrong key, sharing in their excitement when they got something they really wanted.
Such is the life of the family historian and Person in Charge of Memories. (There is no pay increase for this part of the job.)
Life is full of these little moments that you’d love to remember. And even more, would love to be remembered in them.
Family half sessions, at 30 minutes, are for just this occasion. To allow you to relax and be part of it, to enjoy it without feeling the pull to document it (or worse - forgetting to document it and realizing later that nobody else remembered either).
Family half sessions are perfect for a quick pop-in by your favorite photographer.
Document the important part of a birthday party; get that multi-generational photo while the grandparents are visiting; mark the occasion when your first-born eats their first solid foods or help yourself remember that summer isn’t all a whirlwind of work, vacation, and childcare logistics - that you actually did something fun together here at home.
Half sessions are especially perfect for kids (and adults) who don’t need a lot of time warming up to the camera, and/or for planned activities where you don’t expect everyone to sit still for 30 minutes. Or, where everyone is distracted and not paying attention to the photographer at all.
Like, birthday parties, for example.
Family Half Session Rates and Details
Family half sessions are perfect for quick planned activities, birthday pop-ins, grandparent visits, and those little milestones you want to remember that maybe don’t warrant a full session.
Included in the $150 session fee:
Guidance through the process, including a prep guide and getting-to-know-you form to mold your session around your family
30 minutes of photography at or near your home
Professional photo editing
I believe in the freedom to choose your digital image collection after you’ve seen your photos and know what you love. Each digital collection comes with a print credit, so you can get your favorite pictures printed, where they belong.
The three family collection options (named after native VA trees for fun):
Sassafras ($550): all of the digital images from our session (25-30) + $250 print credit
Sycamore ($450): 15 of your favorite digital images + $125 print credit
Loblolly ($300): 7 of your favorite digital images + $50 print credit
Session fee (due to book) + chosen collection (due when your photos are ready) = your total investment
What to Expect
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Before the Photography
We’ll go over the process, pricing, the activity you have in mind, and any concerns you might have before we work together. Then, the $150 session fee and a signed digital contract will hold your spot on my calendar. I’ll send you a getting-to-know-you form to help mold the session around your family and what you want to remember.
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The Photography Session
I’ll come to you, in Richmond, Chesterfield, Henrico, Powhatan, or Hanover, and we’ll jump right into the activity we have planned. The planning we do Before the Photography will help us know exactly what to expect and how we want to spend our 30 minutes of photography together.
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After the Photography
I’ll edit your photos, and within two weeks of your session I’ll email you with a link to your photo slideshow. You'll be able to watch it over and over for 24 hours before you need to decide on a collection. Each collection has a select number of digital image downloads and a print credit discount for the print store, so you can get your favorite images off your computer and onto your walls or into an album.
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Most houses with children and/or pets have a lived-in look that won’t fit on a magazine cover. We’re not going for cover photos, we’re going for connection photos.
Not to worry, though. I’ll give you some prep tips on how to ready your house for family photography (no dusting required). You don’t need to make it spotless, and I’ll help you figure out which rooms to skip cleaning altogether.
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That’s the beauty of in-home photo sessions: we don’t have to worry about rain. I have a simple lighting setup that I bring with me in case it’s especially gloomy outside, or if we just need a little bit of extra light. If the roads are passable, I’ll be there.
Here’s a session I did at home on a day with gloomy weather.
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Can’t think of the perfect activity for your family, and worried you’ll sit around staring at each other for 30 minutes? Here are some structured activities we could photograph:
Baking with Grandma
Summer sprinklers and popsicles in the yard
Cooking together as a family
Playing dress-up
Documenting nursing or first solid foods with your infant
A trip to your favorite playground or ice cream shop (I’ll meet you there)
Baby bath in the sink
Holiday decorating
Bedtime
Cooking with Dad
Walk around the neighborhood with a new bike…
Think about your family and how you like to spend time together, and what you want to remember about this particular phase of life. Whatever you choose will be unique to your family.
A’s for your Q’s.
