It's that time of the year! I severely lacked on blogging my sessions this year... on purpose, as it didn't create value for my business, but I couldn't leave out the most fun blog post of the whole year: the Client Superlative List. This will be my third year of putting together this list of what I consider to be my best photos of the year. A lot of the categories are the same as last year and you may recognize some familiar faces, as I have the absolute best repeat clients! Read on to see the best and most fun photos from 2024.

Favorite Newborn Photos

This could be one of the hardest categories to choose from every year, as what's not to love about brand-new, tiny, squishy, adorable babies? I deliver really large newborn galleries because it's so hard to get rid of ANY photos of a cute baby, so going through to decide which are the best from the last year is extra tough. See my own faves below.

Favorite Maternity Photos

This is a session type that I don't do often. I'm not sure if it's because people would rather spend money on the newborn photos, or it's overwhelming to think about, especially if you already have a toddler to wrangle, but I'd encourage everyone expecting to seriously consider booking a maternity session. At least once! It's such a special time in your life and so short, relatively speaking, that having those images to look back on years from now will be something you're always grateful for.

Favorite Photos With Mom

Moms get a few extra photos of just them with their kids in our sessions because they're so often the ones behind the camera and not in front of it. I love these photos in particular because of how much joy is on their faces. Your kids will love looking at these images forever.

Favorite Photos with Dad

And we can't forget Dad! Dads are often the ones throwing their kids around, chasing and tickling them to get the best, most genuine laughs out of them during sessions. No matter how much they may not want to be there, capturing their love for their families is always a big part of sessions.

Favorite Sibling Photos

I have kids, so I know that most of the time, when booking a session, you're hoping to get a great shot (or twelve) of your kids together. Looking like they're happy to be near each other, lol. I try to do a ton of different setups with just the kids so that we can get you just that. A lot of the time, my favorites are the ones where someone (or multiple someones) are goofing off or being extra silly, but I love a good old fashioned 'everyone look at me' photo, too. Here are the best from 2024:

Best Twirling Photos

I love a good twirling shot and if a girl is wearing a dress or skirt, I'll ask them to twirl because these images can come out really fun, especially if the sunset is filtering through the dress. This was a surprisingly easy category to choose a few winners from this year!

Favorite Black and White Photos

When I started out as a photographer, I preferred almost every image in black and white and so gave a lot of them in my galleries. As the years have gone on, I find myself preferring color over black and white, unless it's a really really good one. Like it shouldn't ever be shown in color kind of good. These are those kind of good.

Favorite Faceless Photos

I love detail shots and photos where you can see a story being told even when no one's face is visible. I've already shared a few in the galleries above, but here are the ones that leap out at me as being extra good.

Biggest 180 From Last Year

Ok, so I will acknowledge that not every kid loves me. Most do! But, I get it. I'm a stranger. Even if I've photographed your family before, your kids don't really know me and probably aren't totally comfortable with me. Even if I play really fun games. Even if there are bribes involved. Even if I let them do whatever they want. There are always some kids who just won't let mom or dad leave their side the entire time, or they cry. Like big sobbing cries. Last year, this kiddo wanted nothing to do with having her photo taken and won the Saddest Baby in my Client Superlatives. It was cold, she was too young for bribes, it happens. But THIS year? This year, I got this photo:

Which leads me to this year's Saddest Baby Photo

Because of the aforementioned reasons, plus the fact that sunset sessions sometimes happen after bedtime, babies don't always love being in front of the camera. Even when there's cake involved. Case in point:

It's totally normal for your one-year-old to hate having cake photos done, I promise! When I do the cake smash portion of a family session, it's usually about 50/50 whether the baby loves the cake, or is either indifferent or hates it. Two-year-olds should have cake smash sessions... THAT would make for some amazing photos!

And Following the Saddest Baby is the Happiest Baby

This sweet guy might be the happiest baby I have ever photographed, ever. He was in SUCH a good mood for their family session, and just seemed to have the absolute best time, no matter what we were doing. Their whole session looks like this!

Favorite Portraits

At every session, I'll have each kid do their own photos and I love getting to see their personalities shine through, even when there are no smiles.

A Moment for the Dress

This dress was the most fun to photograph. It certainly didn't hurt that the cutie wearing it had a big personality! The movement and light in it were just perfection, so I had to take a moment to share the best dress from 2024.

The Most People At A Family Session

I do extended family sessions periodically throughout the year, as it's a great way for a bigger group to each get their own family photos, plus the cousins and grandparents together. It's a great gift for the holidays or for a milestone birthday, and this year I photographed the largest group I ever have (aside from weddings): 34 people. And they were all so great! It's nearly impossible to get this many people together in the same place at the same time, so I applaud them for making it happen!

Best Photos with a Dog

People ask all the time if it's ok to include their dog in their session and the answer is always yes. I have some tips for making it go as smoothly as possible, because let's be honest: a lot of dogs are about as tough to wrangle as toddlers. If you have a dog and a toddler, it's extra challenging, but the results are always worth it!

Traveled The Farthest

This family traveled the farthest for a photo session! Ok, no they didn't. They came for an awesome summer vacation, but booked me as a part of it. They met in Boston and life took them to San Francisco where they now live and have a toddler. We met in Boston and had the best (if a little hot) time wandering the city and taking photos. I love that they incorporated family photos into their vacation. What an amazing souvenir!

Favorite Family Photos

And last but not least, my favorite family shots of the year. Getting to capture your families year in and year out, is truly a huge honor. Thank you so much for trusting me!

Thanks for reading all the way to the end!

xo,

Kristen