I love that at home family sessions are gaining more traction. There is just a different level of comfort unlocked for you and your kids when we shoot in your own space. I photographed this at home family session in Frederick, MD with the Martin family, and it completely fueled my creative fire.

There is something magical about photographing a family of five in the place that actually belongs to them, surrounded by their own land and their own little corners of the world. The Martins welcomed me onto their property for a full outdoor family session at home, and from the moment I stepped out of my car (besides the long black snake outside my door), it was clear this was going to be a good one.

Kids are a completely different species in their own space. The Martin kids were tour guides, comedians, and tiny directors all rolled into one. They wanted to show me their favorite toys, the swimming pool, and even the new construction happening under the deck, which they clearly considered very important business.

This is exactly why I am leaning harder into documentary family sessions this year. The real laughter, the real chaos, and the real wait, do that again moments carry so much more feeling than posed smiles ever could.

We wandered the property as the light softened, and saved the backyard for last, letting the swingset and a golden Frederick County sunset close out the evening. As the sun dropped low, the Martin kids took full advantage of their captive audience. Flips, tricks, watch this, watch this moments, the whole performance, and I just kept shooting. Some of my favorite images from the entire session came from those unscripted minutes of pure joy, sun flare and all.

We also celebrated baby sister’s very first birthday with a cake smash! Watching a one year old go from polite curiosity to full frosting hands in hair commitment in under two minutes is one of the greatest joys of this job, hands down. She also so kindly shared the blue dye with her parents–yum!

We wrapped the night with sparklers, because apparently golden hour and cake smashes were not enough magic for one evening. 🙂

As a Frederick, MD family photographer, some of my most genuine, most meaningful images come from exactly this kind of session, a family of five, their own backyard, and golden light doing all the hard work for me. If you are local to Frederick, MD and want photos full of real personality, swingset tricks, birthday cake chaos, and all, I would love to come hang out at your place too.

Click here to book your family session with me.