We’re getting deeper into 2026, and even though that seems really weird to say, it’s true! And in the spirit of a new year, why not start a new tradition? (Or maybe even a couple new traditions!)

Family photography shouldn’t be a once-a-year affair! Your family is constantly growing, changing, and all of those changes deserve to be documented beautifully. From your classic ‘updating your family photos’ to a maternity session and getting ready to welcome your newest addition, are all extremely precious and deserve their own moment. I know I’m a little late to the game, but let’s make this the best photography year for your family, ever!

Different families get different sessions, at different points in year. It’s important to figure out what is most important to your family, and your families calendar. If you have four kiddos, who are all in extracurricular activities like football, cheerleading, theater or band, your families calendar is probably busier than others, and that’s totally okay! We can work around that schedule when you determine what means the most to your family. Is it a little ones milestone such as turning 6 months old, or they’re finally walking. Is it a high school graduation? Or maybe you’re welcoming a new addition to the family? Documented, documented, DOCUMENTED! If you’re like me, even the tiniest of details matter! Your daughter lost her first tooth? Documented. Your son has a new obsession with tractors? Documented. Kiddos are looking a little extra adorable? You guessed it… Documented!

This can all sound very overwhelming, so I’m going to help you break it down, and figure out what turly matters most to you and your family.

First things first. Consider whether or not holiday photos are a must for you and the fam. Some families don’t particularly care for themed holiday-style sessions, while others stand by their annual holiday cards. If you’re part of the holiday card clan, you can plan on a photography session in the autumn/ winter ahead to get your cards out in time for the holiday season! And if you’re not a fan of heavily themed photography, that’s absolutely okay too! There are plenty of other opportunities for families photos throughout the year.

Another great way to squeeze in family photos for 2026, especially for busier families, is mini sessions! Most photographers, like myself, have mini sessions about twice a year, sometimes even more. I like to offer them in the autumn (into early winter) and in the spring! These types of sessions are typically shorter, more straight to the point. They are also awesome to photography families with older children, who aren’t growing and changing as rapidly anymore. Mini sessions are a must (in my humble photographer opinion) throughout the year, assuming you aren’t welcoming a new addition in 2026, which shakes all of that up with maternity sessions, newborn sessions, and all of the things that come with a new baby, but that’s for a different blog post.

So let’s take these factors, and bring them all together to form one solid plan.

Ideally, your families photography schedule should look like this:

• One full length photography session
• One to two seasonal mini sessions
• Little ones milestones (e.g cake smash)
• Important graduations (e.g high school)

I get it, that might seem like a lot. That list could easily turn into 5-6 photography sessions a year. Between work and school schedules, and your family’s budget (which is also an extremely important factor) that might not be doable. So, let’s look at a more realistic photography schedule.

• One full length photography session
• Important milestones
• Important graduations

This is the bare minimum when it comes to successfully documenting your families important and precious growth. Especially when you have important milestones and graduations you really don’t want to miss those.

At the end of the day, I could create an entire list of exactly which sessions you should book, and why, but I’m not in your house! I don’t know how fast your kiddos are growing and changing, and I don’t know how your family runs. Every family, and every individual knows what matter most to them, all I can do is give you my suggestions!

So if it’s time to plan your year of family photos, lets talk! We can come up with a strategy and schedule , and make sure we photograph every single precious memory that matters most to you and your fam. Because even when life gets chaotic, your memories matter. So let’s capture them!