What to Expect From an Experience Session With Me
If you’re coming into one of my experience sessions hoping for a handful of smiling-at-the-camera portraits, I want to gently tell you — you’re going to get so much more than that.
As a family photographer in Annapolis, MD (serving DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia), my sessions are intentionally designed to feel less like a photoshoot and more like time spent together. Because the images families end up loving most are rarely the perfectly posed ones — they’re the ones where something real is happening. In this post, I am featuring images from a recent favorite session. It was so serendipitous how this session happened! I left one Sunday open in my calendar last October “just in case” the weather got in the way of my carefully laid schedule, and somehow, I didn’t need it. This message came through on a Friday, a last minute request to capture a “best friends” storytelling session. I was free, so I said yes!
This session was truly unique: we were not only taking family portraits, but we were also celebrating a 10-year wedding anniversary for one of the couples, decades of friendship between the moms, and a beautiful relationship that had formed between their husbands and children. There was a champagne toast, kisses, and wedding glam, and then we switched gears to shells, splashing, fishing poles and my favorite part – everyone got into their sweats and just hung out together. It was perfect — playful, heartfelt, and so very uniquely them.
Why I Encourage Longer, Experience-Based Sessions
The first few minutes of any session are just a warm-up.
Kids are figuring me out. Parents are still in “are they cooperating?” mode. We are getting to know each other. Everyone is adjusting.
When we allow 45–60 minutes (or more!), something shifts. Kids forget about the camera. Parents settle into the rhythm, ease out of performance and into connection. That’s when the magic shows up — and that’s when the story really begins.
Shorter sessions have their place, and I offer minis for that very reason. They can capture that perfect portrait and your much-needed holiday card.
Longer sessions capture a relationship, which is all about YOU, your family, and all the beautiful reasons that you decided to become one. This applies to my couples and my branding sessions, too. The relationship you have with your partner and the relationship to the work you do (that lights you up inside) MATTERS. It deserves to be savored, documented, preserved for YOU.
This Is About Relationship, Not Rapid-Fire Posing
I don’t simply rush families through a checklist of poses.
Instead, I:
- Learn your family’s dynamic
- Pay attention to energy and personality
- Respond to what unfolds naturally
- Guide gently when I sense that it is needed, without forcing moments
That space allows me to create images that feel layered, emotional, and distinctly yours — not interchangeable with anyone else’s session.
What You’ll Walk Away With
Yes, you’ll have beautiful portraits.
But you’ll also have:
- Movement
- Interaction
- Quiet moments
- Laughter
- Images that tell a fuller story of this season of life
The longer sessions aren’t necessarily about quantity — they’re about depth.
Who Experience Sessions Are For
These sessions are best for families who:
- Value storytelling over perfection — if you expect me to edit every hair perfectly into place, I am going to kindly say that I might not be the best fit for you. I am inspired by imperfections and humanness…that includes the wind-blown hair matched with a genuine smile, your children’s sandy toes, and dirty hands…
- Want images that feel honest and lived-in — and there is a balance between the portraits and the in-between moments in all of my galleries
- Trust the process and allow moments to unfold — the wild kids always seem to find their way to me and I fully embrace their energy
If that resonates with you, you’re exactly who I created these sessions for…where your family’s story comes first, and perfection takes a back seat. I’d love to chat and see if we’re a fit. Let’s make some memories together.
