When we think about family photos, our minds often go to the big milestones – birthdays, holidays, weddings. But the moments we’re least likely to document are often the ones we’ll miss the most.
It’s the in-between that matters. The everyday chaos. The routines that feel relentless now, but become tender with time. The way your child’s hand instinctively reaches for yours, or how they always sat a certain way on your lap. These are the moments that pass without fanfare – and they’re the ones that shape our family stories.
Real Life Is Worth Remembering
Recently, I photographed a couple with one-year-old twins. As you can imagine, their days are full – a whirlwind of nappies, snacks, spills, and tiny hands getting into everything. During the session, we captured a moment of them trying to change a nappy while one of the babies did everything in her power to wriggle away. Another scene showed the daily struggle of dressing a toddler who absolutely did not want to wear clothes that day.
In the moment, these things feel exhausting. But in the photos, something else comes through: love, effort, humour, and the beautiful intensity of raising small humans. These are the kinds of images that, years from now, will remind those parents just how hard they worked – and just how much joy there was in the chaos.
It’s About More Than Just Faces — It’s About Connection
When I photograph families, I’m not waiting for everyone to smile at the camera. I’m watching for the real stuff: the way a child leans into their parent for comfort, the eye contact between siblings, a hand gently reaching out to hold another. These subtle moments tell the real story of a family – the one that words often fail to capture.
One of my clients, a mum in a beautifully blended family, told me her favourite thing about their photos was how clearly the connections between the children came through. Her oldest child from a previous relationship, her partner’s two children, and their youngest – the child they now share together – were all just together. The photos didn’t just show faces. They showed belonging.
Photographs Age Like Memories — They Become More Precious Over Time
When I look at the few photos I have from my own childhood, I feel a rush of emotion. I didn’t understand their value at the time, but now, with my parents getting older, these images mean everything. I study them for clues – the clothes we wore, the car we drove, the flat we lived in, the way my dad carried me on his shoulders.
They remind me of how deeply I was loved, even in the mess of everyday life. They anchor me to where I came from.
This is the power of family photos – not just to freeze a moment, but to give it meaning. To help us remember not just what life looked like, but what it felt like.
One Day, This Will All Be a Memory
Right now, your days might feel long and full and loud. You might not feel camera-ready. But your children don’t see your tired eyes or your unwashed hair. They see you. The person who makes them feel safe. The person who knows their routines, their moods, their favourite stories.
And one day, they’ll want to remember that version of you. The real you.
So let’s photograph that. Not the perfect. Not the posed. But the true, beautiful, fleeting ordinary – because one day, it won’t be ordinary anymore.
If this resonates with you…
…if you’re in the thick of it, raising little humans and wanting to remember more than just the milestones — I’d love to help you press pause and document the now. My sessions are relaxed, natural, and focused on capturing the feeling of your everyday life, exactly as it is.
