Documentary Photography for Families

A woman with long hair and a young girl with an updo hairstyle playing together indoors, black and white photo.

Day in the Life Sessions

A relaxed, documentary family photography session designed to capture the true rhythms, details, and connections of your day.

Your everyday life is a story worth remembering — the quiet mornings, the playful chaos, the tiny rituals that hold your family together. My Day in the Life sessions are designed to capture those moments as they truly are: unposed, honest, and beautifully ordinary. Whether we spend two hours together or follow your day from morning to night, you’ll receive a documentary-style narrative of your family just being yourselves.

No pressure. No performance. Just real life, preserved with intention.

Ways we can work together

  • The complete story — morning to night.

    A full chapter of your family’s life, documented in its natural rhythm. Perfect for slow days at home, major transitions, travel days, or any day you want to remember exactly as it was.

    Includes:

    • Up to 8 hours of coverage

    • 1–4 meaningful locations

    • All edited images

    • Print store access

    • Custom designed 6×6 luxury heirloom album (valued at $450)

    Investment: $2400 or 4 payments of $600

  • Ideal for weekend mornings, cozy afternoons, or any slice of life where routines and connection naturally unfold.

    Includes:

    • Up to 4 hours

    • 1–2 locations

    • All edited images

    • Print store access

    • Custom designed 6×6 luxury heirloom album (valued at $450)

    Investment: $1600 or 4 payments of $400

  • A smaller window into your everyday rhythm.

    Perfect for maternity, newborn life, bedtime routines, birthday and family celebrations, or a tender season you want to remember.

    Includes:

    • Up to 2 hours

    • 1 location

    • All edited images

    • Print store access

    • $350 credit towards a custom designed luxury album

    Investment: $880 or 4 payments of $220

  • Three sessions across the year to remember how a whole year felt.

    For families who want more than one chapter — they want the full story: the quiet seasons, big emotions, growth, routine, and shifting rhythms.

    Includes:

    • (3) 2-hour Day in the Life sessions

    • Priority seasonal booking

    • All edited images from each session

    • Custom designed 8×8 luxury heirloom album (valued at $500)

    Investment: $2700 or 4 payments of $675

    *12 month interest free payment plan available

  • Two documentary sessions honoring both the anticipation of pregnancy and the tenderness of early life.

    A gentle, meaningful way to capture the before and after — the wait, the arrival, and the beauty of becoming a family in a new way.

    Includes:

    • 2-hour maternity session

    • 2-hour newborn or family session (within baby’s first year)

    • Custom designed 8×8 luxury heirloom album (valued at $500)

    • All edited images

    • Priority booking

    Investment: $2100 or 4 payments of $525

    *6 month interest free payment plan available

Authentic stories, gently unfolding.

The OHANA Experience

This experience is rooted in the belief that your everyday life—just as it is—is worth remembering. I don’t come in with poses or pressure. I come in with open eyes and a full heart, ready to witness the real moments that make your family yours.

“OHANA” isn’t just a word—it’s the foundation of how I approach every session. It stands for:

  • Open to all forms of genuine love - however that looks to you.

  • Honest moments and heartfelt memories.

  • Authentic bonds, deeply felt.

  • Natural beauty in the everyday things in your life.

  • As You Are… remember the moment as you are, not as you wish to be.

Baby lying on tummy on a quilted mat on the floor, smiling and looking to the side, with a hanging toy mobile above
A black-and-white photo of a young child climbing up stairs, looking directly at the camera, with two adults on either side, one on the left and one on the right, partially visible. The child is focused on the camera, and the adults are guiding or assisting.
People sitting and relaxing on a couch in a cozy living room, with a dog sleeping on the floor beneath them.
A family of three enjoying tea and cookies indoors. The father is holding a young girl, and the mother is drinking from a mug. There is a small table with a red apple and a teacup in front of them.

FAQs

  • My process is designed to be collaborative and stress-free, ensuring I capture your story authentically. We’ll begin with an optional discovery call to ask questions, talk about what a documentary session with me is like, and put your mind at ease for any concerns you may have initially. After you’ve decided to book with me, you'll fill out a questionnaire that helps me understand your current stage of life and gives me ideas on how to best capture it. This is where you can share your vision and any specific requests that you may have. Each session is truly catered to your individual family or relationship and its unique needs – I don’t push my own agenda, but I also have plenty of ideas and gentle guidance to offer if you’re feeling lost or unsure. I’ll guide you through every step to ensure your needs are met and we create the memories you’ll want to remember.

  • That's a very common feeling, and I promise you won't feel that way for long! My documentary approach is all about capturing authentic moments, not posed perfection. If you start to feel unsure, I'll gently guide you towards natural interactions and provide prompts based on our discovery call discussion, your questionnaire, or what's unfolding in the moment. My goal is always to help you relax, connect with your loved ones, and simply be yourselves, ensuring truly genuine photos.

  • This is perhaps the most common worry I hear, and I want to put your mind completely at ease. You absolutely do not need to worry about your kids 'behaving' in the traditional sense! I genuinely love working with children, and my sessions are specifically designed to allow them the freedom to be themselves, play freely, and explore. My goal is to capture them exactly as they are in this unique stage of life – their genuine expressions, their natural curiosity, and their authentic interactions, whatever that looks like. If your child is uncomfortable with strangers, I can certainly arrange a brief in-person meeting prior to the session so they can get to know me and feel more comfortable when I arrive with my camera. And if they're camera shy, I'm happy to take the time to talk with them, show them my camera, and interact with them first to ensure their comfort before we even begin capturing moments.

  • I work a full time job in addition to photography, and really value time with my own family. Local to northern Virginia sessions will get priority, but I am willing to talk about a session for travel. Sessions outside of 30 miles from 20164 will incur a $100 fee, and sessions outside of 60 miles will incur additional fees.

  • My best advice is to wear whatever makes you feel most comfortable and truly reflects who you are in this stage of life. Neutral and muted colors tend to photograph beautifully and keep the focus on your connections. I'm always happy to consult and help you decide on outfits.

  • One of the beautiful aspects of documentary photography is how low-stress and minimal the preparation is for you. Your questionnaire will help guide me on any specific needs. Ultimately, your main preparation is simply to plan on being yourselves and engaging authentically with your loved ones. I’ll take care of capturing all the magic.

  • You won't find "mini-sessions" on my services page, and there's a profound reason for that. My OHANA belief isn't about rushing to capture forced smiles or generic portraits. It's about delving into the authentic core of your family or relationship, celebrating the honest moments, and embracing the natural beauty of your everyday life— exactly as it is. Whether you choose a Full Day in the Life session to fully immerse yourselves in the unfolding narrative of your life, or a Partial Day in the Life session to capture the core, vital connections within a focused period, the common thread is time and genuine presence. Authenticity takes time. It takes time for little ones to feel comfortable enough to truly be themselves, for genuine laughter and quiet cuddles to organically emerge, and for you to simply forget the camera is there. My sessions are designed to provide that space—that unhurried freedom for your unique story to unfold naturally. I'm not chasing a checklist of poses; I'm creating a heartfelt visual legacy of this moment in your lives. And those irreplaceable memories, filled with the realness of your love, deserve more than a rushed timeframe. They deserve the space to breathe, to connect, and to be deeply remembered.

Kind Words

Documentary Photography Sessions for Families

Your story, just as it is.

Every chapter matters — the one unfolding in your home and the one unfolding in your work. My documentary sessions are designed to preserve the story that’s uniquely yours: the real-life moments that shape your family, and the quiet, intentional work that shapes your home.

If you feel called to document this season, I’d love to walk alongside you. Inquire below and tell me what story you want to remember.