Family Photography that’s more like a pot of slow-cooked chili than a microwave dinner.

Without any “cheese.”

Toddler laughing while being held upside down in his dad's lap in their living room.

Maybe I need a different metaphor, because chili without cheese is not my thing.

But going slow with your family photography, in a world that insists on rushing everything, is definitely my thing.

And if staying home and enjoying your family while I create photos of you all together is *your* thing, you’re in the right place.

No posing, no “say cheese.”

An unhurried process from the beginning, where we start by getting to know each other a little, and create a family photo session that molds to your family, not the other way around.

And when you see your images later on, you’ll end up saying things like this…

Parents sit with their daughter and dog outside. Dad kisses his daughter on the cheek. Daughter has autism and scrunches her face as he kisses her.

“They made us laugh and cry”

“These are PERFECT! Thank you so so so so much for capturing our family. They made us laugh and cry. I’m so grateful.”

-Audra

Session Rates and Details

A lifestyle photography experience at home, where everyone is the most comfortable and we can document the parts of life you want to remember.

Included in the $300 session fee:

  • Guidance through the process, including a prep guide and getting-to-know-you form to mold your session around your family

  • 60 minutes of photography at 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):

Black Walnut ($1100): all of the digital images from our session + $500 print credit

Poplar ($900): 30 of your favorite digital images + $250 print credit

Pawpaw ($600): 15 of your favorite digital images + $100 print credit

Session fee (due to book) + chosen collection (due when your photos are ready) = your total investment

What to Expect

  • Before the Photography

    We’ll go over the process, pricing, your expectations, and any concerns you might have before we work together. Then, the $300 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, not the other way around.

  • The Photography Session

    I’ll come to you, in Richmond, Chesterfield, Henrico, Powhatan, or Hanover. We’ll find the best light in your house and hang out for an hour, doing the things you like to do together.

  • 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 for the print store, so you can get your favorite images off your computer and onto your walls or into an album.  

Reach out to get started
Family of three play together on their couch.
Toddler laughs on his dad's shoulders while Mom tries to lift him off.
An extended family walks together outside their house in Midlothian, Virginia.
A close up of a mom cuddling with her toddler and kissing him on the forehead while he looks at the camera.
A family of three sits on their front porch together. Mom gently pinches the baby's cheeks together and Dad laughs.
A family jumps on their trampoline together in their yard in Chesterfield, Virginia.
Two small kids sit at the dining room table and stare unemotionally into the camera. He is wearing fuzzy gloves and laying his head on the table.
A 12 month old little girl stands in her yard in Midlothian, VA and grabs her dad's pants to steady herself. He stands casually in front of her with his hands in his pockets.
Elementary school age girl sits in her art room at home and proudly holds up her drawing while her mom laughs joyfully beside her.
Dad holds 9 month old baby girl above her mom in her nursery, and cackles happily.
A five year old sits in a room by herself surrounded by windows and doll clothes.
A preteen boy plays a board game with his grandparents at the dining room table at home in Bon Air, Virginia.
Dad sits on his knees and helps his little girl change her dress. She is standing and looking toward the camera and her diaper is poking out underneath her dress.
A chaotic scene of cousins doing various activities around the kitchen table. They are laughing and talking together and having a good time.
Parents feed their baby girl on the couch with a bottle. Dad holds the baby and the bottle, while Mom sits beside them and reaches over to pet the dog, who is sitting beside her.
Two toddler sisters dance on the couch in their room. The photo is from the waist down, and their legs are covered with bruises and dirt from playing outside. One sister wears a tattered tutu and ballet shoes.
Mom reads to her baby girl in a rocking chair in the nursery. The baby's name is written in large letters across the wall above the crib.
Two parents look past the camera, smiling at their daughter and encouraging her over next to them. They are sitting and laying on the floor in their kitchen in Richmond, VA.
Siblings make funny faces and laugh at each other at the kitchen table at a family photo session in Glen Allen, VA.
A 12 month old stands proudly in front of the camera in just a diaper, while Mom laughs in the background.

Life isn’t perfect.

But it’s full of personality, special details, and inside jokes that form the connections within your family.

My goal is to help you see past how you think you look in pictures. Instead, I want you to see how you connect with the people you love.

I want to show you what it looks like when you’re laughing with your family, playing at home on a regular day.

  • 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.

    Here’s a letter of encouragement about your house.

  • 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.

  • Whatever your family likes to do together, maybe minus watching Bluey.

    Between the phone call and a pre-session questionnaire, I’ll have a good idea of how your family likes to play together, and we’ll incorporate that into our session.

    Can’t think of anything? Don’t worry, I got you. Click this link to read a blog post about this very thing.

  • I get it - even Beyoncé makes a bad photo sometimes. While I won’t make you look like someone you’re not, I do focus (pun intended) on the love and connection in your family and how your kids look at you all googly-eyed. I’ll also walk you through how to pick clothes that make you feel your best, so you’re not pulling on fabric or worrying about things riding up.

    But also… here’s a blog post on that.

Got Q’s? I’ve got A’s.

“Easy, stress-free and fun!”

"Allison made this whole process easy, stress-free and fun!  And we could not be happier with the end result.  I have two young boys, and they did not complain even once about the photo shoot!!  We all had fun!”

-Melissa S.