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.

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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.

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!

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!

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. 

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.

 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. 

This was definitely my squishiest newborn of 2023!

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. 

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.

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.

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. 

The only thing I was thinking during this entire cake smash session was: WHERE can I get my hands on an adult version of her dress??? Anyone?!?! I want to be Rainbow Brite for a day.

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.

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.

 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.

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

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

The best faceplant into a cake in 2023. 

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. 

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!

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.

 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!) 

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.

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

 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. 

 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!

Note to self: No more purple icing. 

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. 

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

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

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

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. 

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!