These days are moving faster than you think.

I know you know that. Everyone tells you and every day is a reminder of that. You feel it every time your kid does something that stops you mid-task- a laugh that sounds just slightly different, a look where you see more wisdom in their face, a moment that’s gone before you can fully take it in. You reach for your phone and sometimes you catch it, and sometimes you don’t, and either way it’s already in the past before it’s even finished happening.

That’s why family photos matter. Not the stiff, everyone-look-at-the-camera kind. Which do have their place! But what I think all of us mothers are really searching for are for photos that feel most like us. Your family, in this season, at these ages, while you still have it.

The pressure to look perfect in front of a camera is exactly what makes photos feel stiff a lot of times. And I think that’s worth talking about.

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Connection first. Always.

My whole approach comes down to one thing: I care a lot more about what’s happening between your family members than what’s happening between your family and my camera.

The way your youngest reaches for your hand without thinking about it. The look your partner gives you when your kid does something unexpected. The specific, beautiful chaos that only exists in your family- that you’ve stopped noticing because it’s just a regular Tuesday and stressed by a large, never ending to do list.

That’s what I’m here to catch. Not a lineup. Not a series of carefully directed poses. The real thing- the connection that’s already there, that doesn’t need to be manufactured, just noticed and photographed before it changes.

When I focus on that instead of on getting everyone to look at the lens at the same time, something shifts. People relax. Kids stop performing and start just being kids. And the images that come out of that? They look like your family. I also shoot 35 film in every session- it adds a warmth and timelessness to your gallery that digital alone can’t replicate.

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How I prepare Portland Families before we meet

I believe that in order to create real, emotional images- that work begins well before the day of your session! My process applies whether its an outdoor session, in-home, fresh 48, newborn or maternity session.

When you inquire with me, I’m not just checking availability. I take the time to learn about you and your family- your kids’ personalities, what lights them up, what your day actually looks like. We’ll connect over email or a quick call, and before your session you’ll fill out a detailed client questionnaire so I know exactly who I’m walking into a session with. After booking, we do a planning call together- we talk location, timing, wardrobe, what to expect, and any questions you may have.

I send both a session guide and a wardrobe guide because I want you to feel genuinely prepared. By the time we actually meet in person, we likely will be good friends!

If you’re investing in photographs of your family, you deserve someone who’s fully present and available through the entire process. That’s the experience I’m built around.

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What actually happens during a Portland Family Photography Session

There will probably be a moment during your session where you feel like it’s going sideways. It is so normal and it happens nearly every session!

I build sessions to run 1-2 hours specifically because the first stretch is just warming up. Meeting someone new can feel like an awkward first date- for you and for your kids. So we don’t rush it. What I’ve found is that the time limit isn’t actually what’s truly important anyway- it’s the overall experience and the results. I hang back, I observe and provide gentle prompts as needed based on what i learned about your family in the questionnaire I send. I pay attention to how your family moves and interacts, and I wait for the real moments to show up.

What I’m not doing is handing anyone a prop, telling you exactly what colors to wear, how to stand or giving your kids a script. We’re just spending time together!

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Why the imperfect moments are the ones you’ll keep forever

When families get their galleries back, they almost always have a favorite image. And it’s almost never the one where everyone was perfectly looking at the camera.

It’s the one where someone was mid-laugh. Where a kid was caught doing something completely their own thing in the background. Where the light hit just right during a moment that wasn’t intentionally planned for.

The imperfect moments are the ones that hold up- not just for a year or two, but for decades. The ones your kids will look at when they’re grown and feel something real. I’ve been a mother for 4 amazing years and I can tell you that my favorite photos of my kids are the ones where they are laughing, running, trying to cause a commotion because that is currently and very much so real life! I do have some treasured photos of us all looking at the camera as family- there’s certainly a time and place for moments like that. But the photos I keep going back to are the ones of my kids being kids. Me being a mom. I know I’m not alone in that!

Perfect poses give you a beautiful record of what your family looked like at that time but real moments give you a record of who your family was– how you loved each other, what it actually felt like to be in this season together.

What you walk away with

After your session, you’ll receive a curated gallery of light-filled images that tell the story of your family right now- at these ages, in this season, in this light. If you also book Session Film with me, you will receive a 2-3 minute video set to licensed music.

And then we do an ordering appointment together, because a gallery sitting in a download folder for three years isn’t doing your family any good. (Speaking from personal experience too! I’m so guilty of this!) A framed print in your hallway or a linen album your kids can pull off the shelf is. A session film- a short, cinematic video of your family exactly as they are right now, the movement and the noise and the aliveness of it- is the kind of thing that gets passed down.

I offer printed albums and session films built into my collections because photographs should live in your home and my goal is to help you accomplish that.

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Book Your Portland Family Photography Session This Summer

I’m currently booking sessions for families throughout Portland, Lake Oswego, Beaverton, Gresham, Sandy, Estacada, and surrounding areas- and families who book before July 20th receive $100 in artwork credit in any collection.

Summer light in Oregon is something special. Long golden evenings, warm air, kids a little more free than they are the rest of the year. If you’ve been thinking about doing this, there’s no better time than right now

These days are moving faster than you think.

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Ashlyn Taulbee Photography offers outdoor family sessions, in-home photography, printed albums, and session films throughout Portland, Oregon and surrounding areas including Lake Oswego, Beaverton, Gresham, Sandy, and Estacada.