Bellingham Lifestyle Family Photographer Better than Posed Family Photos

What is a Lifestyle Session?

A lifestyle session is an authentic way of capturing the things you do with the people you love in a meaningful way without a lot of direction from the photographer. I try to capture lots of little moments like this throughout all of my sessions, but a true lifestyle session includes nearly no direction from me at all. I like to try and melt into the background of these sessions and just allow the moments to unfold with absolutely no interjections. This allows me to watch the interactions, body language and emotions that make these moments uniquely yours and harness them without any input from me. I always encourage my clients to think of something they love to do together- it might be something fun like fort building or baking, lego play or a walk to your favorite park. Or maybe it’s something a little less glamorous like grocery shopping or laundry. Who cares? If those moments mean something to you, they mean something to me, too.

Mother-Daughter Baking session. Look at the expression on that sweet face! — Mother-Daughter Baking session.

Father-Daughter Lego Building Session. I love her little chin on his hand. — Father-Daughter Lego Building Session.

Family fun at their summer home on Lake Whatcom!

What Makes a Lifestyle Session Different?

Besides the lack of posed shots that you might typically think of when you imagine a photo shoot, lifestyle sessions are all about the details. The little smirks, the fingers wrapped around your son’s favorite toy, the way your baby grabs onto your hand, the tiny toes up on your kitchen table helping you bake. It’s about the little tiny things that are easy to forget over time and finding a way to snatch those little details out of the moment and keep them in your memory forever.

Fort Building Session: All the feet in the family!

This was one of my favorite shots from this mother-daughter baking session. She loved being up on the table and using as many sprinkles as she could.

Little Baby Hands for our Sink Bathing Session!

Why Do a Lifestyle Session?

A lifestyle session is perfect for those of you who might “hate having your picture taken” (one of the most common things I hear!) I’ve found that what people really hate most about themselves in photos is their unnatural expression or position. These lifestyle sessions are meant to take that posed and uncomfortable feeling out of the equation and allow you to stay in the moment in an activity you love. It’s also the perfect way to show off some of those family traditions- holiday candy making, Sunday morning pancakes… Something you’ve been doing for years, but haven’t ever really captured. Or maybe that tradition is something you do ALL. THE. TIME. Like, washing the dishes. It may not sound photo-worthy, but it’s real life and that is something worth capturing. These lifestyle sessions take away the stress of “looking good on camera” and put you right back in the moment with the people you love which gives me the opportunity to photograph your true, honest, authentically happy self.