Vermont Family Photography: My Stress-free Approach

Vermont Family Photography is my passion. I love capturing precious moments that tell the stories of a family’s journey through the seasons of life. Family photography allows us to freeze fleeting moments and create timeless memories that will be cherished for generations to come.

However, as any parent knows, organizing a family photo session can often be a stressful experience. From coordinating outfits to keeping the dog out of the mud before the session, it can sometimes feel like a monumental task. That’s why I’m here to share my stress-free approach to Vermont family photography, ensuring a relaxed and enjoyable experience for everyone involved.

Pre-Session Consultations make for Stress-free Photo Sessions.

As soon as you reach out to inquire about a photo session, I’ll be in touch to schedule a video call. This way we can get to know each other before the session and discuss expectations, preferences, and any special requests.

It’s an opportunity for me to get to know your family’s dynamic, understand your vision, and offer suggestions based on your unique needs. Sometimes, I even get to show my camera to the kids so they are familiar with it ahead of time. If you have pets, this is a great time to tell me all about them, or even introduce me to them. This information makes it easier for me to visualize and plan for your session.

Odds are, we’ll realize we’ve got many common interests and would love to chat over a cup of tea or a long dog walk! And, having met ahead of time, we’ll both feel at ease heading into your photo session.

Scheduling and booking are easy and on-line.

After we’ve had a chance to chat, if you are interested, I’ll send along a link to my availability and the booking forms. Over the next week, at your convenience, you can select the date and time that works best for your family. Once the booking forms come through, you’ll be officially on my calendar.

I generally schedule my sessions in the two hours before sunset though I do open a few morning sessions in the fall. Both weeknight and weekend sessions are available year round.

I’ll help you find the perfect location.

Vermont offers an array of picturesque locations for family photography, and I love exploring the natural beauty of the state. It’s honestly one of my favorite parts of this job — I can take my dog for a walk and call it work because I’m location scouting. That’s a win for me and Willow and you!!

I have a handful of favorite spots that I love to recommend and I’m always adding new locations. I’ll work with you to choose a location that holds personal significance or one that reflects your style and interests. Whether it’s a charming rural setting, a scenic park, or your home the chosen location sets the stage for authentic and meaningful portraits.

So many families love have photos done at home that I wrote an entire blog post called Home: The Perfect Spot For Your Next Family Portrait Session. Often it really is the best spot!

I’ll help you figure out what to wear.

I hear it all the time: I’d schedule photos if I knew what to wear. I know you are busy and this might feel like something that will take too much time.

Don’t let this worry get in the way of capturing photos you and your family will enjoy and cherish for decades. I recently wrote a fun post about what NOT to wear for family photos that will likely help you realize that you’ve got this!

As soon as you book, I’ll send along my Photo Session Prep Guide. It’s packed with all sorts of useful tips (and getting updated all the time). I have a whole section on what to wear. And, of course, I’m always happy to chat after booking about what to wear. Generally I’ll suggest a color pallet or two based on the location and time of year you’ve suggested.

I’ll capture Relaxed and Candid Moments at your session.

While some posed shots are great for family portraits, I believe that the true essence of a family lies in the candid, unscripted moments. Children laughing, siblings playing, and parents sharing genuine affection—these are the memories that make your family unique. These are also the moments that take skill to capture.

Have you ever tried to create photos that show the connection family members share or the expressions that really show happiness and love? It’s harder than it looks. And, it’s something I love to do for families. Your story matters and I want you to have photos to help tell that story for generations.

I strive to create photographs that evoke emotions and tell a heartfelt story. I wish I could tell you that you just need to show up and be yourself. However, to capture the best images, a little bit of facilitating goes a long way, otherwise people just stand in a clump and talk.

I will gently and intentionally facilitate our time together. You’ll just be having fun and connecting with your family. I’ll be making sure you are having fun in pretty light with no distractions in the background.

For both family and dog photo sessions, I have many games and activities to keep the session moving along and fun while I capture the images you will cherish for years to come. And, when I’m photographing a family with their dog — well that’s my absolute favorite!

I won’t ask you to hold a stiff and uncomfortable pose. You will get to snuggle with your two year old in pretty light. I might ask you to whisper something that made you proud into your teen’s ear then capture the expression on her face. I might ask you and your partner to stand off to the side then tell your kids to surprise you with a big bear hug! (Please, don’t tell them about that game ahead of time!)

Family Photography doesn’t need to be rushed. I’ve got time.

I always schedule at least 90 minutes for each photo session. That gives us plenty of time to take advantage of the changing light throughout the evening. It also leaves plenty of time for kids to be kids and puppies to be puppies. As I wrote about in an earlier blog post, I work to ensure a relaxed photo session for you.

As the mother of four and a former teacher of almost two decades, I know young people. I arrive at every session over planned and ready to be flexible. There’s plenty of time to tend to diapers, give a big kid to take a quiet moment to regroup or for a dog to run out some silly energy.

If your child has a meltdown or is slow to warm up, I will not judge you. I’ll be there to patiently support you all and most of all to give you the space you need.

If you have a family member with special needs, please let me know in our meeting or on your pre-session questionnaire how I can be most helpful. For many years, many of my students had special needs. Everyone’s story deserves to be told and I’m happy to put my experience to use in any way that will be helpful.

I’ll help you figure out what to do with your photos!

About 3-4 weeks after your session, you’ll get a email with a link to view all your finished photos. These will be the best of our session (at least 50, often more). They will be fully hand edited by me and ready for you to pick the best of the best for your personal collection.

After investing so much time and money getting photos taken, I want to be 100% sure you will enjoy those photos everyday. That’s why all three collections I offer include both digital files and an artwork credit to my on-line shop. This way you can be sure to have archival quality prints or albums forever, not just digitals on a long-forgotten hard drive!

That can feel like a big project! And who needs another big project? No one!

But, I’ve got you. We’ll do it one step at a time. I have a step-by-step process that helps you pick the best collection for your family, download your favorite digital images and order your custom art work.

My gallery sharing software makes selecting favorite images easy. You can try on frames for your framed print (almost like trying on glasses!!) or view your images as a canvas wrap or metal print.

All artwork is guaranteed to be archival quality and will be delivered directly to your home.

Downloading from my site after your session is easy. The files will even come with a name that makes sense so you can find them in a few years!

And, of course, I’m always available to help with any questions along the way.

Reach out today to schedule your Vermont Family Photography Session!

Vermont family photography can be a delightful and stress-free experience in the hands of a professional with a plan to help you through the process step by step. By getting to know you ahead of time, offering easy on-line booking, scouting locations, arriving with a flexible plan, and helping you display custom artwork in your home I will ensure that your family photo session is not just stress-free, but an enjoyable way to capture authentic images your family will treasure for decades.

Let me take the stress out of the process, allowing you to enjoy your family’s special moments while creating lasting memories that will be cherished for generations to come. Reach out through my website or email me directly at kate@katefarrellphotography.com. I look forward to hearing from you soon.