Family Photography — Northern Michigan
Family sessions work best when they don't feel like family sessions. We're less interested in perfect stillness and more interested in the way your kids actually move, the jokes that actually land, the moments that actually happen. Come as you are.
"You captured us and our families and our love so well. I can't get over it." Kate — Family Adventure Session
Posed family portraits have their place. This isn't quite that. We shoot families who want their photos to feel like something they actually lived, not something they performed for a camera.
That might mean chasing your kids around the beach at Sleeping Bear Dunes. It might mean letting your toddler run into the lake while the light is still good. It might mean a backyard session where everyone is barefoot and your dog is refusing to cooperate. All of that is the material.
We spend a lot of energy making sure the session itself feels good, because that's what actually shows up in the photos. When people are relaxed and playing and a little bit distracted, the images tend to take care of themselves.
Good Humans
A short questionnaire helps us understand your family's energy, what you're hoping to walk away with, and where in Northern Michigan makes sense for your session.
We propose a date, time, and location based on what we've learned. Timing matters outdoors, so we take the light seriously. We'll also talk through what to wear so the palette works and nobody's overthinking it the morning of.
We'll guide when it helps and step back when it doesn't. Edited images are delivered with a teaser within two weeks and the full gallery within 90 days. Every image you receive has been individually touched.
"Oh full blown crocodile tears all over again from this girl. You captured us and our families and our love so well. I can't get over it. The Bug ones are all I dreamed them to be."
Kate — Family Adventure Session
"Families are imperfect, families are messy, but that is where the fun is. We embrace it. If you want to play, let's do it."
Michael — Allen-Kent Photography
If something here already feels right, we'd love to hear about your family.
Get in TouchWe're based in Traverse City and shoot family sessions across the peninsula and beyond. Northern Michigan has more good locations than we can list, and we've shot most of them.
Sleeping Bear Point is the one we keep coming back to for families who want room to move. You can push past the crowds into the dunes themselves, find a private stretch, and just stay. When everyone else packs up and heads to the parking lot, we're still there: kids in the water, light dropping behind the dunes. That's usually where the best stuff is.
North Bar Lake is a different kind of place. Two bodies of water with a dune between them: one warm and calm, one wide and genuinely awe-inspiring. It photographs like nowhere else in the state. Kids run between them. The geography does most of the work.
Old Mission Peninsula has too many beaches to name, and that's the point. We're not taking you to the same spot every other family session goes. We look for something tucked away: a small pull-off, a stretch of shoreline that doesn't show up on a list. We find something new every time.
The Leelanau Peninsula is less about a single location and more about reading what your family needs. A forest trail at dusk. A dune to scramble up before sunrise. A river mouth where the light hits the water at the end of a hot day. We ask questions before we plan anything, because the right location for your family isn't the same as the right location for the one before you. You can see how it all comes together in our summer family session posts.
There's no one-size-fits-all answer. Some families want the classic beach evening. Others want to hike somewhere, earn the view, and let the kids be loud about it. We start by asking where you are before we suggest where to go. Tell us about your family and we'll take it from there.
Beach and Water
Summer sessions near Lake Michigan or the inland lakes. Best scheduled late afternoon, a few hours before sunset: enough time to warm up, play, and catch the light at the end. North Bar, Old Mission, Empire beach, Leelanau shoreline.
Dunes and Open Landscape
Sleeping Bear Point for families who want space. The crowds thin out fast once you walk. Bring water. Plan on two hours. Kids who resist posing tend to do well here. There's too much to explore for anyone to stand still and feel awkward about it.
Forest and Trails
Good option when it's hot, or when your family has energy to burn. Shaded light, no squinting, and the natural chaos of kids navigating a trail together. We use the Leelanau Peninsula and the Sleeping Bear trail system depending on the season.
Home and Backyard
Underrated. The dog, the yard, the kitchen where everyone ends up anyway. If your kids are most themselves at home, that's worth considering. Especially good for newborn-and-toddler combinations and families with younger kids who travel better in familiar territory.
What should we wear?
Coordinated, not matching. We'll send a style guide after you book, but the short version: pick a palette of 2 to 3 tones that work together and let everyone dress within that. Solid colors and simple textures tend to age better than anything too trendy. If it feels good to wear, it'll look good in photos.
What if my kids don't cooperate?
This comes up every time and it almost never becomes the problem people expect. Kids respond to energy, so when the session feels more like an outing than a photoshoot, they tend to loosen up quickly. We build in plenty of time and we've photographed a lot of genuinely chaotic family moments. That's usually where the best stuff is anyway.
How long is a typical session?
Most family sessions run about 60 to 90 minutes. That gives us enough time to warm up, move through a couple different setups, and not rush the light at the end. Newborn and at-home sessions can run longer depending on what we're working on.
What time of year is best for family sessions in Northern Michigan?
Summer books out fastest. Late June through August is when most families want to be outside, and we fill up. Fall is genuinely worth considering. The color window is short, usually two to three weeks in early October, but the light is exceptional and the crowds are gone. Spring is underrated: green comes back fast, the beaches are empty, and the weather is more cooperative than people expect. We shoot year-round. Winter sessions at the dunes are rare and memorable.
How far in advance should we book?
Summer and early fall: three to four months is realistic if you have a specific date in mind. We hold a handful of spots for shorter timelines, but those go quickly. If you're planning around a family visit or a specific week, earlier is better. Off-season is more flexible.
Can you work with babies and toddlers?
Yes, with some adjustments. Younger kids need more time and a looser schedule. We build that in. Nap timing matters. We'll ask about it when we talk. The honest truth is that some of the best family sessions we've shot have had at least one genuinely uncooperative toddler. It usually works out.
Do you shoot extended family sessions including grandparents, cousins, the whole group?
We do. Larger groups need a bit more coordination on location and timing, and we'll want to talk through it before the session so nothing is improvised. The logistics are manageable. The chaos is expected and accounted for.
What if the weather doesn't cooperate?
We reschedule when it genuinely won't work: storms, heavy rain. Overcast skies are actually fine for family sessions. The light goes flat and even, nobody squints, and the colors tend to hold. Some of our best sessions have happened under a cloud cover that looked threatening on the way there.
When do we get the photos?
You'll receive a teaser gallery within two weeks of your session. The full edited delivery is due within 90 days, though we work hard to beat that timeline outside of peak season. Every image in your gallery has been individually edited.
What does a session cost?
Sessions start at $500 and are fully custom from there. Pricing details are on our pricing page, and we're happy to talk through what makes sense for your specific session before anything is committed.
Tell us about your family and we'll take it from there.
Get in TouchA few families we've had the pleasure of photographing
