Maine & New Hampshire Family Photographer // Can We Please Stop Making Kids Say “Cheese”?

(Let Them Be Weird. It’s Way Better That Way.)

Look, I know the dream: everyone in coordinating outfits, smiling angelically, no one crying or rolling their eyes or licking their sibling.

But let’s get real—that is not your real life, and that is totally okay. Actually, it’s better than okay. It’s perfect.

Long gone are the days of stiff smiles and everyone awkwardly staring at the camera like they’re being held hostage at JCPenney Portrait Studios in 1998. (No shade to your mom—she tried.) Family photos should not feel like a chore. They should feel like… your family.

If your kid wants to bring a dinosaur (or act like a dinosur), wear mismatched socks, or insists on showing me their collection of rocks mid-session? Cool. That’s gold. That’s personality. That’s the stuff you’ll actually want to remember one day—not just the smile they plastered on after being bribed with fruit snacks and vague threats.

So, let your kids be weird. Let them run, spin, scream, giggle, pout, make fart noises. Whatever. I’m here for it. The more “them” they are, the more you your photos will be.

Also—forcing your kids into uncomfortable clothes they hate just for the sake of aesthetic? Hard pass. If they feel good, they’ll look good. Let them wear something that feels like them. Comfort equals confidence, and confidence makes for killer photos.

Here’s the thing: we don’t need perfect. We need real.
And real = fun, messy, silly, slightly chaotic, deeply you.
So let them be weird. I promise, it photographs beautifully.