The Experience
What to expect from your family photography session
Every shoot I do is unique, because every family is unique. After years of experience, I have learned how to create a safe space for my clients to feel comfortable and be themselves. Rather than just stiffly posing for the camera, I gently guide and direct you and your loved ones through some of your favorite past times and activities. You can expect a perfect mix of both looking at the camera photos and candid photos. And best of all, you can expect to have fun.
Amidst the gentle guidance I provide, you can expect to make lasting memories with the people you love. Some of my shoots have included grandbabies listening to grandma tell a story passed down for generations, singing the original verses a kiddo has made up to wheels on the bus, cousin dance parties and littles playing ring around the rosies. No matter the circumstances, you can expect to find love and real life.
Once the date of your shoot comes and goes, the beauty and joy isn’t forgotten. I provide one on one assistance in selecting and printing your favorite moments. I pray these images become an heirloom passed on from generation to generation. Art, that adorns the walls of your home and memories cherished forever.
When I started taking pictures for others, I knew I wanted the whole experience to be different than what most people knew and expected from family pictures.
In a photoshoot with me, you can expect to make lasting memories with the ones you love, while creating priceless art
kind words
hear from my past clients
Kara has been so amazing to work with! From the very beginning she assisted with choosing a location, outfit suggestions and even ideas on how to make family pictures not so stressful. Even with a grumpy baby and freezing temperatures our family pictures turned out to be our best ones yet! The colors and lighting of each photograph are so perfect. I can’t say enough about how much we love them. I have gotten many compliments on how amazing they turned out. We can’t thank Kara enough for these photographs that we will cherish forever! We look forward to many more family pictures with her.
Kristi Anitoni
kind words
hear from my past clients
I love our pictures from our last session! She was great with our kids. Even with my kids’ inability to all look at the camera at the same time or smile like a normal human being, there were so many great pictures. I’ve been putting them on everything. Every time I open my phone and see my favorite picture of my family, I think to myself how I’m the luckiest man alive. Great pictures, with great ideas.
Kory Anderson
kind words
hear from my past clients
I hate pictures. I do what a lot of women do, I pick out everything I don’t like about myself. I go down the list of things and angles that make me “not pretty”. But I opened my gallery and saw ME, as a mother of four. My love for them isn’t flawed and that is all I see here. Thank you, Kara, for showing me those perfect moments in my own life.
Ale Diaz de Leon
kind words
hear from my past clients
There are a lot of family photographers out there that are good at the basics of photography. Not only are Kara’s baseline skills better than most photographers that we have worked with in the past, her communication and turnaround time make her unique in our experience. Kara doesn’t just use a camera to take some photos… she understands people, and her direction during the shoot and her responsiveness afterward are totally refreshing. I would recommend Kara to anyone.
Darren Nielsen
kind words
hear from my past clients
Kara has a great system. She provided a low stress, quick, easy and fun experience for my family and me. The whole process was fast enough to keep our active little one engaged, guided enough for my non-photogenic self to be a contributing participant and she generated lots of incredible photos for my wife to choose from. Overall the experience was awesome, we will be back.
Ian Russell
frequently asked questions
How can a family photography session be stress free?
One of the most frequent things I hear moms say is “family pictures are so stressful.” Not the way I do them. I try to take the time spent stressing out of the experience by helping to guide you through the potential stressors. The first thing you receive upon booking your session with me is a session planning guide full of all the information and tips you need to make your session everything but stressful. I am available for consult every step of the way. Family pictures should be about making memories with the people you love, not about adding more stress to your already busy life.
How do you achieve candid, genuine photos?
After years of experience, I have learned how to create a safe space for my clients to feel comfortable and be themselves. I gently guide and direct you and your loved ones through some fun poses, games and activities. Through this process we capture your family’s personality and genuine love for each other.
What if I'm not Photogenic?
You are beautiful! And even if you don’t feel that way, the love you have for your family is beautiful. I have helped countless other clients, who have made this same statement, create gorgeous images who highlight who they are. I realize that some of us feel more self conscious than others or have had less than enjoyable experiences in the past with professional photos. But I am confident that through gentle guidance, attention to detail and years of experience I can help you feel beautiful and capture those moments that mean the most.
HOw long is a typical session?
For a full session you can expect around an hour. Every session and family is different, but generally speaking, I get a smiling, everyone looking at the camera picture at the beginning and then we just make memories and enjoy time together as a family. I follow your lead on the amount of time you want captured. For newborns typically plan on at least an hour to an hour and a half to allow for flexibility to capture all of those special moments between baby’s needs.
what if my littles never sit still or look at the camera? | what if my family members typically don't like pictures?
I absolutely love what I do and I am so excited to work with you! Excitement is contagious and if you are excited about the experience others will be excited too. Once you arrive at the session, your work is done. From there I am happy to be your guide and help difficult kiddos, grumpy babies or reluctant spouses enjoy their time together as a family. Often there are mishaps, that is part of real life, but it is nothing to worry about. I have found some of the most beautiful images have come from raw honest moments. Don’t worry about having everything perfect. Life isn’t perfect, it’s a journey, and there is joy to be found in the journey. Together we can focus on that joy and document the part of your journey that you currently find yourself in.
DO you offer mini sessions?
I believe that every family should have images in their home that portray their beauty and love, regardless of their budget. To cater to the needs of all my clients, mini sessions are offered several times a year. If you would like to be the first to know about mini session dates, please join my email list.
Investment
For more details on pricing, please contact me. I can’t wait to hear from you and I sincerely look forward to planning our session together.
