Updated Family Photos | Indiana Family Photography

Sometimes you don't realize how much your family has changed until you look back at the last time you had professional family photos taken. For this family, it had been more than 10 years since they had updated their family pictures, and with so much life happening in between, they decided it was finally time to document everyone as they are today.

We met at a beautiful private location in Indiana for an evening family photography session, and I loved that they wanted more than just a traditional family portrait. Along with photos of everyone together, we made time for individual portraits of each sister, photos of mom and dad together, and plenty of combinations of the family. Their two dogs were also an important part of the session and, of course, they had to be included. Pets are family too, and I love when families choose to bring their dogs along for their photos.

What should you include in an updated family photo session?

When it's been several years since your last family photos, I always think it's worth considering all of the relationships and combinations that make your family unique. Of course, you'll want the classic photo of everyone together, but you might also want individual portraits of your children, photos of siblings together, mom and dad portraits, or smaller groupings that show the different relationships within your family.

That's exactly what we did during this session. We photographed the family as a whole, but we also took time for each sister individually, captured their parents together, and documented the family with their dogs. It created a gallery that tells a much bigger story than a single group portrait could.

Can you include dogs in family photos?

Absolutely! If your dog is part of your family, they deserve to be in the pictures too. Dogs can bring so much personality to a family session, and I love incorporating them into both the traditional family portraits and more relaxed images throughout the session. There may be a little extra chaos when pets are involved, but honestly, that's part of what makes the photos feel like your family.

For this family, their two dogs came along for the evening and were included in several of their portraits. We let them be part of the experience rather than expecting them to sit perfectly still for every photo. That gave us a mixture of classic portraits and images that felt much more natural to the way their family actually is.

What if we haven't had family photos taken in years?

You definitely don't have to have professional family photos taken every year for a session to be meaningful. Sometimes 10 years is exactly what makes it time for an update. Kids grow, families change, relationships evolve, and even the family dog you couldn't imagine life without gets older.

If you're looking at your walls and realizing that the family photos you have are from a completely different chapter of your life, that's a pretty good reason to schedule an updated family session.

You don't need a special occasion or milestone. You don't need everyone to be the same age they were in the last photo. You can simply decide that you want to remember your family as they are right now.

Family photography that includes more than the posed portrait

One of my favorite things about family sessions is being able to photograph the little pieces that make a family theirs. The big family portrait is important, but so are the individual personalities, sibling relationships, the connection between parents, and the goofy little moments with the family dogs.

This session gave us room for all of that. We photographed the four of them together, created individual portraits, included their dogs, and took advantage of a beautiful private location to create a variety of images throughout the evening.

If it's been years since you've updated your family photos, you don't have to wait for another 10 years. Your family looks different now, and that's worth documenting.

Whether you're looking for updated family photos, sibling portraits, photos with your dogs, or simply want to document your family in this particular season of life, I'd love to create something that feels like you.