FAMILY & PET PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER AND ARCHIVIST

Best of 2023- My Favorite Family and Pet Photo Sessions from this year!!

2023 was such a memorable year for me, it gave me some of my favorite sessions yet!! With doing 120 sessions this year (including 64 dogs and 7 cats), I felt like taking a stroll through memory lane of the past twelve months and wanted to revisit some of my most memorable sessions from the year. It was definitely hard to choose my favorites, so the following sessions were just some that stood out in my brain the most.

If you’re featured in this blog, feel free to share this with any family and friends to show off your published photos!!
DISCLAIMER: The following photos are not always the best photos of each session, some are just my favorite outtakes that were just too good to gatekeep from the world.

a collage of 2 vertical images showing a pregnant women in Philadelphia. She is posing for her maternity photos, in the first photo alone, and in the second photo she is lovingly smiling looking at her husband.

This maternity shoot happened to fall on a VERY cold winter day, but we still made the best of it! We all moved super fast and still were able to great pretty lighting and a nice variety. Even when it’s cold, we love warm winter light!

2 photos of a family of three- consisting of a mom, dad and baby boy having fun in the fall weather in Philadelphia's WIssahickon Park.

We initially planned to do a maternity shoot. However, the baby had other plans and decided to come a bit early. So we waited for him to get a bit older before doing a fun fall family session! Check out this cool behind the scenes Reel made by Valley Green!

A one year old boy having his cake smash on his family's front porch, when all of a sudden his pet corgi steals a bite of his cake.

Their front porch made for the cutest backdrop to watch little Freddie grow. We made sure to do a photo there during every one of their Belly to Birthday sessions. It was a given we had to do his cake smash on the same porch, along with his buddy Carrot. 

Two english lab dogs standing in front of the river in New Hope, Pennsylvania.

Hudson & Harlow are some of the two most beautiful English Labs I’ve ever met. We spent some time down at the waterfront in Lambertville.

A family of 3- consisting of a mom, dad and baby girl sitting in their living room during their at home photoshoot in Philadelphia.

 The last time I saw this family was during their maternity session and it was great getting the time to see how their family has developed. It’s always surreal to witness a Belly go to a Baby. 

3 photos of A newborn boy sleeping in both his crib and his parents bed, while laying with them i his family's center city Philadelphia home.

This was definitely my squishiest newborn of 2023!

A family of 3 hanging out in a Mt. Airy, PA park during their family photos.

It’s okay to be unsure of when to schedule your check-in sessions. I always suggest that somewhere around the one-year stage is a great period to capture. Even if you prefer a family session over a typical cake smash, it’s a great time to prioritize the upkeep of your family’s archive. 

A couple in beautiful fall foliage. The women is pregnant, and her husband is holding her belly as they walk through Mt. Airy, Pa.

I had a great time getting the chance to connect with some of my neighbors, strolling through Awbury Arboretum for their maternity session. One day I will learn to not overshoot.

A family of four with their dog walking through Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.

These are some of my oldest clients! Not only did I shoot their wedding a million years ago in Peddler’s Village, I also photographed their eldest daughter when she was just a newborn. Even moving to another state doesn’t stop us from hanging out for some family documentation.

A couple walking through Center City Philadelphia with their two corgis for their pet photoshoot.

Kyle and Penelope were 2 out of 4 corgis that I photographed in one week. I now understand the universal corgi obsession a little bit more now. 

3 young girls looking over their newborn baby brother in their Montgomery County Home.

Strategic / Incentive based Bribery- That is what I learned from this shoot. I mean it when I say we don’t ever force kids to do anything but 3 headstrong little ladies forces Mom / photographer to get creative. I am happy to report everyone got 3 toppings on their ice cream reward.

A golden retriever puppy standing a beautiful colorful field of flowers in King of Prussia with a young girl who is her owner.

I’ve been photographing Cece every year since she was a newborn. So when she got her first dog, Pixie, it only made sense to photograph her as a new fellow dog mom with her cute little golden baby.

a family of four, consisting of a mom, dad and 2 twin boys walking and playing in a field during the Fall season in Philadelphia.

 I got to hang out with this family on a beautiful night in one of my favorite spots in Valley Forge. However, my favorite part of the shoot was all the hugs that the boys gave me. Hugs are always welcome.

A pregnant women in a pretty pink dress standing in a park surrounded by Cherry Blossoms in Philadelphia.

This was peak cherry blossom season and it was perfect for this couple anticipating a baby girl!

A family of three standing in and outside of their historic montgomery county home with their corgi.

 A baby and a corgi in a cute, historic house- what more could you ask for?!

A baby boy in an Old city park in Philadelphia face planting into his cake smash cake.

The best faceplant into a cake in 2023. 

A golden doodle dog surrounded by beautiful fall foliage with his two owners in a Philadelphia park.

All it takes for a great fall shoot is some great directional light and one beautiful tree. Oh, and one very perfectly groomed fluffy pupper. 

A family of three taking a stroll through Princeton NJ with their dog.

Princeton is a really beautiful location to travel to for family and cake sessions. I am always down to travel to catch up with you and your family and to document your milestones. Would you believe me if I said I have traveled as far as South America for a family shoot? Cause I did!

An older brother covering his newborn sisters face during her first photoshoot. They are in their Philadelphia family home.

This older brother tried to steal the shoot a little bit, so we made sure to give him some one-on-one time with the camera. But we still maintained the spotlight on newborn Lorena.

A family of four posing both inside their home and outside of it. Their home is located in Fitler Square, Philadelphia and the photos show off Old City.

 I don’t always get the opportunity to photograph older kids, so when I do it’s always a nice change of pace. The boys were very excited to be a part of this session and it gave us all a perfect taste of the chaos that comes with having a house full of boys (with one more on the way!) 

a tiny puppy walking up the stairs of Philadelphia's Museum of Art.

I loved how much I got to play with scale with such a tiny puppy in such a grand place like the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

A family iof 3 playing around in their Center City Philadelphia home.

I loved catching up with this family and seeing how much Joaquin had grown and changed since I last saw him as a newborn! 

A newborn photoshoot in a Penn Valley family home. The older sister is peering into her baby brothers crib and cuddling with her parents.

 This is another one of my oldest families! I photographed their wedding, as well as Lottie’s entire 1st year! It was really exciting for me to see Lottie so mature and demonstrate her very important role as a big sister. 

A young boy playing in a field of yellow flowers in a park in Philadelphia, while with his dog and father.

 At the start of this session, Nate was very clingy towards Dad. But we were able to loosen him up and capture some great photos!

A baby crying with purple icing all over her face from her cake smash in Willow Grove, PA.

Note to self: No more purple icing. 

A couple walking thier english bulldog through Philadelphia's Italian Market.

There’s nothing like a fun stroll through the Italian Market during the holiday season. Especially with Sugar, the English Bulldog, as our tour guide. 

A baby under a year old playing in his nursery with his parents in their Phoenixville, PA home

Some of my favorite moments are just hanging out on the floor and having a quick little playtime break.

A newborn girl being held up in front of a window that her cat is perched on. The photo is from her newborn shoot in Philly in the family's home.

 I of course had to make sure that I included cannoli in some photos with baby Clare!! 

A Golden lab sitting a beautiful Philadelphia field watching the sunset .

A girl and her dog against the world – I relate. 

A toddler girl holding an entire pack of oreos in a Philadelphia park while her mother stands behind her laughing.

This was another yearly check-in for this family. And this was the year that the “difficult child” torch got passed down to the younger sibling. 

A couple struggling to get their 2 corgis to cooperate enough for their pet photoshoot in Old City Philadelphia

Embrace the chaos. It’s always going better than it seems. 

Thank you everyone for a wonderful 2023. I always love getting to know and photograph your families each year. If you know anyone who is considering starting their own family archive, share with them this blog so they can see what exactly I may have in store for them!

Check out my favorite blog post from 2023 as well – Tips for Starting your Family’s Digital Archive!

Featured Categories

Pets

Family

Maternity

Newborn