When you’re not sure what’s next, but you’re sure about what matters…

a family plays foosball and the son lifts his hands in victory

When Crystal met me at the door for this session, she was like, “yeah, so a lot has happened since I talked to you last.” I looked around and much of their house was in boxes. The walls were bare, and they were preparing for a possible, sudden move. I knew from that moment that I could not love this family more.

The fact that they were in this place of transition, when almost everyone else would say that they couldn’t do photos of their family at this time, the Stampleys said yes. When nothing is certain, you lean on what you know is certain, the people in your life who are your family.

To be honest, I fell in love with this family even before that moment. It really started when I talked to Crystal on the phone for the first time. The conversation would pause when her daughter had a question about the drawing she was making, and I’d get to listen in on an adorable conversation about it. I turned to my own son on my side of the conversation who had just pooped his pants and thought maybe I should change it…nah, he wasn’t bothered by it. It could wait. Plus, I’m certain our potty mouth conversation would not be nearly as adorable.

The day I met up with them was filled with breakfast and games and an outing and pizza and a birthday celebration all mixed in with sibling squabbles and plenty of snuggles. A day worth remembering…not because of anything in particular, or in spite of a packed away house, but because they are family, and the experience of being together matters. Now they have these photographs to celebrate that.

Life is always changing and evolving around us, and the time to photograph it is now, in the midst of it all.

a dad helps put a shirt on a child while a mother holds up a missing undershirt while another child looks on

mom and dad help get their son's hair ready for the day

Mom and dad get ready to make breakfast in the kitchen

A girl sits in a booster seat with green fuzzy monster slippers while holding a stuffed doggie

a mom places a masking tape moustache on her son's face

a boy looks at himself with a masking tape moustache in the mirror and smiles

a girl whispers a secret in her mom's ear on the kitchen floor as two boys eat at the table

a boy places his green fuzzy monster feet on his brother's knees

a boy raises his hand in triumph while playing twister with his family

a dad holds up his daughter's stuff animal to her and animates him

a mom tickles a boy's leg while two other children lie on the floor beside them

a mom holds her son's chin in her hands while speaking to him

a girl lies on a footrest with her stuffed animal contedly

mom and dad dominate during a foosball game with their sons

a mom holds her daughter's stuffed animal while they sit on the floor

a mom walks with her daughter while holding her

a boy points to an important play that is happening on the tv at the pizza place

two boys take off running and a younger girl trails behind them holding a stuffed animal

a dad holds a girl on his shoulders as his son runs beside him while another boy chats with his mother

a mother gives her son a pump on an inhaler while a girl puts a spoon over her eye underneath them

a mother puts a cap on her daughter's head in preparation for nap time

Maybe you missed all the fall mini sessions or maybe you put off getting family photos all year. Well, it might not be too late. Here’s why you should book a holiday family photo session.

1. Your home, your memories.

Your photos should not just be about your people, but they should be about your places as well. The environment is the setting in your family story, and what better time to capture that environment than the holidays. The details that make your house your home are what will cling to your memory and take you right back to that time and place in your family history years from now. Close your eyes and think about what your home looked like decorated for the holidays as a child. What details do you remember?

a mother holds her baby and helps him taste a candy cane during a holiday family photography session

2. Think of all the fun things you can do.

The holidays inspire fun family activities, and there are endless possibilities for photos. From baking cookies, to decorating gingerbread houses. From cutting down a tree, to drinking hot chocolate. There are tons of ways to make memories worth capturing. And if you find yourself playing some reindeer games, I’ll be happy to photograph those too.

image of two gingerbread houses, one with an angry face

3. Cause traditions.

Traditions are an important part of family history. They get passed down from generation to generation or started anew. They are what make your family yours. They say, “This is what we do as a family during the holidays.” Traditions are what the kids look forward to year after year, and they are what you work so hard to make happen because it wouldn’t be the holidays without them. Your traditions are worth capturing and remembering for you, for your kids, and for your kids’ kids.

4. It’s time you get to spend and celebrate with your family.

One of the best parts of having documentary family photos is that it’s time you get to spend being present with your family. It’s not another thing that you have to go do or check off a list. Instead, it’s your life that you get to live for the day with just the intention of being together as a family. Plus, there’s no pressure to pick up your phone and photograph the experience, you get to just be in the moment as your baby explores how a pine tree feels for the first time or as you enjoy the muffins and hot cocoa you all just made together.

a baby reaches up to touch a pine tree at a tree farm during a holiday family photo session

A mother holds her child on her lap as they eat muffins and drink hot cocoa at a table with another girl

5. You can include the extended family as well.

The holidays are all about family and often not just your immediate family. Why not document a big family gathering? Including cousins, and grandparents, and aunts and uncles is a gift that will become even more meaningful in the years to come.

a man pushes a child on a swing as many kids play on and around the swingset

6. There are every day routine moments that happen as well.

Real life doesn’t pause for the holidays. It’s still a documentary family photo session, so it’s still unposed and unscripted even though you may know what activities you want to do. With the documentary approach, you are going about your life as your fun holiday selves, and I get to capture whatever moments unfold before me. Those include the moments in between the activities as well, the moments of you doing the hard work of parenting like washing hands or letting them know they need to stop eating the muffin batter or pulling on the dog’s tail.

a child holds onto the tail of a dog as a finger points at him suggesting that he shouldn't be doing it

7. And we can still get that portrait for the Christmas card or for Grandma if you want.

Even if you’re not into posed portraits, it’s always nice to have a photo of everyone together. We will do the portraits quickly, so you can get on with the fun day you have planned. If you want Anna to be in the picture too, it’s totally fine with me. Anna will add context to the time and place of the portrait in later years. Personally, I like portraits when they are loaded with personality and full of feeling. If you are looking for that perfect portrait though, I’m probably not the photographer for you…or maybe you need to just, “Let it go.” Sorry. I had to.

A morning with the Stampley family, Atlanta Family Photographer

When you’re not sure what’s next, but you’re sure about what matters…

7 Reasons to Book a Holiday Documentary Family Photo Session

Maybe you missed all the fall mini sessions or maybe you put off getting family photos all year. Well, it might not be too late. Here’s why you should book a holiday family photo session.