I’m not sure where my love of lifestyle family photography comes from, but it’s always been my favorite style of session to shoot. The idea of capturing families and loved ones in the comfort of their own home, where so much of their story is written, is what drives me to be a story teller behind the camera. I would imagine it comes from the albums upon albums of photos at the home where I grew up – simply images that documented the every day moments in our lives. When I look at these photos (and I find myself smiling even as I type this), I don’t just look at the people in the images, or what we were wearing or the hair styles that were popular that year. I look deep into the backgrounds of the images. I look for the home where I grew up, I look for the tree fort we built in the backyard, or the ladder in the back of an image of a giant planet earth we chalked on the driveway because it showed that someone actually had to climb it to get us and the earth in the photo due to it’s size.

These sessions have picked up in popularity in the last couple of years and I’m always thrilled to shoot these sessions for my clients. Lifestyle sessions are the perfect opportunity to shoot a hybrid lifestyle-family session, too. We can start (or end!) outdoors and time our session to get great indoor lighting and still catch those golden hour rays for outdoor portraits. If you’re a long-time reader of my blog, you’ll recognize this family immediately. I’ve photographed this family more than any other family and I feel so fortunate that our lives were timed so that we all ended up here in Indy at the same time and they chose me as their photographer. So when Kasey booked a lifestyle session for their annual photos, I was over the moon.

I knew Kasey was good about printing her images and framing the kids as they grow over the years, but to show up at their home and see all of the images printed throughout their home almost brought tears to my eyes. … okay, it did. I’m sentimental, what can I say? It’s as if I knew how much these shots meant to them, but to see it in person just really drives it home. This is why I do what I do. Kasey had told me the kids were really excited to show me their rooms and their giddiness at having me there made me feel so special and important. I’ve known them for four years now and I love that they want to share bits about themselves and their lives with me when we see each other. Plus, Kasey has amazing taste and each space is perfectly designed and organized (though she swears it was a mad dash to get things as such for the shoot) and their home was the perfect setting. I probably say it every year, but this year’s session is by far my favorite of them over the years and I’m already looking forward to what next year brings.

casey and her camera is an Indianapolis Photographer specializing in couple, elopement, wedding,  family, and lifestyle photography for Indianapolis, Indiana and the surrounding areas.