What I love most about documentary or what some may call lifestyle sessions is being able to capture genuine, real moments that go far beyond just a pretty smile in a photograph – reminding us not only of what life looked like at that very moment, but what it felt like. Sure, even I love portraits of my own children but my favorite photos to look back on time and time again are always images I’ve taken of them being themselves on an average day. It may seem so mundane at that moment, but these are the moments that you will remember years from now when they’re teenagers – and eventually adults. The sound of their little feet running through the house, the laughter, and even the tears; all that may seem so crazy chaotic at that moment, will be the moments that will be missed. While this style of photography is still relatively new, I hope to inspire more families to choose to encapsulate moments in their life in this way. You can thank me later 🙂
I had the pleasure of spending a morning with the beautiful McDonough family this past weekend for their lifestyle session. Growing up with just 1 sibling, I’ve always been curious what it was like to be in a home with more children. I always imagined it being never being boring, and always being fun for the kids. Spending some time with the McDonough’s 4 children certainly proved that! I feel like having just 2 kids of my own is a handful – I was absolutely amazed watching Meghan and Mike conduct their day with their 4 little ones so effortlessly.
When I arrived at the house, 3 out of the 4 McDonough children were already up and snuggling in their parent’s bed, watching Sunday morning cartoons. We hung out for most of the morning with the goal of getting everyone dressed eventually for some more formal family pics. Here are some photos of my favorite moments before and in between…
We snapped a few formal family photos outside and headed back inside for more pics. Parents always get a bit stressed when the kids don’t cooperate for formal family photos, but I especially love the in between moments! Here’s a few behind the scene pics of what family portrait sessions are really like with kids being kids.
After a few more rounds of photos and the kids were back in action…
The morning sure goes by quick when you’re having a good time! I left the McDonough’s as they sat for their mid-morning snack time.
Thanks to the McDonough’s for inviting me into their home for this session. These kids really killed me with their cuteness.
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