Authenticity Is the Secret to Great Family Photos | Alison Hatch Photo
POV: A photographer who knows the best photos happen when kids are free to be themselves. Whether they’re running, jumping, giggling, or making silly faces, I welcome the chaos. Because those wild, unfiltered moments are where the magic lives—the joy, the connection, and the memories you’ll treasure forever.
Here’s the thing: I don’t want your kids to be perfect little angels. I want them to be The free-spirited, messy, full-of-life versions of who they are right now. That’s where the beauty lies—in the authenticity of the moment, not in the rigidity of a forced smile or perfectly posed family photo.
When I photograph your family, I’m not looking for perfection. I’m looking for the glint of mischief in their eyes as they tell a joke. I’m looking for the belly laugh that leaves them gasping for air. I’m looking for the moments where they’re so lost in being kids that they forget the camera is even there.
As parents, it’s easy to get caught up in wanting everything to look just right. The perfectly coordinated outfits, the kids standing still and smiling sweetly, the photo where everything feels... Pinterest-worthy. But here’s a secret: years from now, when you look back at those photos, it’s not the perfection you’ll treasure. It’s the way your son’s hair always stuck up no matter how much gel you used. It’s the way your daughter scrunched up her nose when she laughed. It’s the way their personalities radiated, even when things didn’t go “as planned.”
That’s why I encourage you to let go during our session. Let them run. Let them explore. Let them laugh. And trust me—trust the process. Trust that within the chaos, there is a story unfolding. Your story.
Because when you see the final images, you won’t just see photos. You’ll feel the moment. You’ll remember the sound of their laughter, the warmth of their little hands, and the way they looked at you with all the love in the world.
So let’s embrace the wild, the silly, the imperfectly perfect moments. Let’s celebrate your kids for exactly who they are right now. Because these are the memories you’ll want to hold onto forever.
