Family Photography — Northern Michigan
Family sessions work best when they don't feel like family sessions. We're less interested in perfection and more interested in watching you and your kids have fun, and 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 good. It might mean a backyard session where everyone is barefoot and your dog is refusing to cooperate. All of that makes for real memories.
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
We're based in Traverse City and work across the Leelanau Peninsula, Sleeping Bear Dunes, and the surrounding shoreline. These coastlines, trees, and fields help create some memorable family moments.
We'll meet you at a location that fits your family, whether that's the dunes, a Lake Michigan beach, a farm property, a state forest trail, or your own backyard.
What should we wear?
Coordinated, not matching. We'll send a style guide after you book, but the short version: Solid, neutral colors and simple textures tend to age better than anything too trendy or large logos.
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.
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 $600 and are fully custom from there. Contact us below, and we can get you more specific details.
Tell us about your family and we'll take it from there.
Get in TouchA few families we've had the pleasure of photographing
