Golden-hour family sessions in Richland, Kennewick and Pasco — unhurried, full of real laughter, and guided so gently your kids won't notice they're being photographed.
Play, Not Posing
If the thought of getting everyone dressed, out the door and smiling at a camera sounds exhausting, I understand completely. I raised two children of my own, and those years taught me exactly how fast childhood moves — how the ordinary moments become the ones you'd give anything to have back.
So I stopped asking families to hold still.
Over the last few years I've shifted almost entirely toward giving kids things to do instead of poses to hold. Walk here. Chase him. Tickle her. Tell me a secret. When children have a job, they stop being bored and stop being nervous about the camera — and what shows up in the photograph is the real version of them.
We'll take the posed one too, the one where everyone's looking and smiling. Grandma wants that photograph and she should have it. But the ones you'll frame are almost always the others.
You will never hear me say "say cheese." Not once.
About Your Kids — All of Them
Twenty years in, I've photographed just about every kind of child there is. Here's the honest version of how that goes.
-
The shy one
Shy kids need time and a relationship, not pressure. I don't rush them and I don't perform at them. I've photographed children who wouldn't look at me for the first twenty minutes and then gave me the most beautiful, wide-open smile of the whole session. I've had autistic kids light up completely once they felt safe. That's worth waiting for, and I always will.
-
The one who won't stop moving
Good. Movement photographs beautifully. Wild energy is much easier to work with than reluctance — I'll aim it rather than fight it.
-
The partner who'd rather be anywhere else
I read the room. Some people give you energy right away and some need a minute, and both are completely fine. Nobody gets pushed. Usually about fifteen minutes in, the reluctant one has quietly started enjoying himself, and I photograph that.
What Actually Makes a Family Session Go Well
After hundreds of family sessions, these are the things that make the difference — and none of them are about the camera.
-
Nobody arrives hungry.
This is the big one, and it sounds too simple to matter. Hungry kids are crabby kids, and crabby kids photograph exactly like crabby kids. Feed everyone first, bring snacks, and promise dinner after.
-
Clothes you can move in.
I'll help you plan outfits before the session — send me photos of what you're considering and I'll tell you kindly if something's going to distract. The rule I care most about: if you're not comfortable, you will look not comfortable. Brand-new shoes and stiff outfits show up in every single frame.
-
Timing around naps.
For families with little ones, we plan around sleep. A well-rested toddler at golden hour is a completely different child than a tired one.
-
Showing up relaxed.
Which is really my job, not yours. I plan everything ahead precisely so that you arrive with nothing to figure out.
How It Works
-
We talk first.
A phone call about your family — the kids' ages and personalities, what this season looks like for you, what you're hoping to keep.
-
We plan the details.
Wardrobe guidance, location chosen for your family, and timing built around the light and your kids' schedule.
-
Your golden hour.
We meet outdoors and mostly play. I guide, you connect, and the good stuff happens on its own.
-
We look at them together.
About two weeks later we sit down in person and go through your gallery, so you're never alone in front of a screen trying to choose.
When to Photograph Your Family in the Tri-Cities
May through October is peak season, and fall books out first — every year, without exception. If you're picturing October light, reach out in late summer.
March and April are quietly lovely here. Fresh green, blossoms, mild evenings, and a much more open calendar.
November through February is variable, and I still shoot through it. Cold is harder on small kids, so we keep those sessions shorter — but a clear winter afternoon in the Tri-Cities gives some of the most beautiful light of the entire year.
Photographs That Become Heirlooms
I believe photographs grow more valuable every year. They start as nice images and slowly turn into something else — the record of who your family was in a particular season, which you can never go back and recreate.
I photographed my own grandparents once, laughing and holding hands. I had no idea how much those images would come to mean after my grandpa passed away.
That's why I'll always encourage you to print them. Not because I sell prints, but because photographs buried in a phone don't do what photographs on a wall do. Your kids grow up seeing themselves in a family that loves them, every single day, on the way to breakfast.
For families that are growing, explore gentle newborn photography in the Tri-Cities
Family Session Questions
What if my kids won't cooperate?
Then they'll fit right in. Wiggles, shyness and big feelings are part of real family sessions, and my whole approach is built for them. I'd genuinely rather photograph a lively family than a compliant one.
What time of day are family sessions?
Golden hour — the last stretch of warm light before sunset. For families with very young children we'll talk about naps and bedtimes when we plan.
What should our family wear?
We'll plan it together beforehand. Send me what you're thinking and I'll help you refine it — comfortable, coordinated without being matchy, and nothing with big logos or busy patterns that pull attention off your faces.
When's the best time of year for family photos in the Tri-Cities?
May through October is peak, with fall filling first. Spring is beautiful and easier to book, and winter can be surprisingly stunning on a clear day.
How far ahead should we book?
Four to six weeks for most sessions, and earlier for fall.
Can we bring our dog?
Yes. He's family.