Usually when a parent first gets in touch with me about a family session, they are after basically the same thing; timeless portraits of their family that document them all together as well as all of the smaller bonds in between them.
The Assignment
When I got on the phone with the Mom of this incredible family, I quickly discovered that we were doing something very different here. Almost the opposite of my normal routine, this family session was going to focus on one member of the family in particular: their daughter who had just come out to them.
Mom informed me that they have Pacific Islander heritage and that being a part of the LGBTQ+ community remains very taboo in that culture so they were especially grateful that their daughter felt safe enough to tell them at all. She wanted this portrait session to be a celebration of her daughter, and to be a visual gesture to her of the entire family’s unconditional love for her. I was so honored to be the photographer she chose for such an important event.
Pride Family Portrait Session
Preparing the Details
Typically, my family clients want to coordinate rather than match everyone’s clothes. Typically, we don’t use props. Typically, I follow a similar photographic flow with each session. But this session is NOT typical! So we had lots of fun planning different prompts and games for this family and thinking about how to show off their shirts and the flags they were bringing so I could tell their story in a genuine way. One of my favorites was asking everyone in the family to write something they loved about her.
Supportive Family Portrait Session
Mom and Dad wanted her to have zero doubt in her mind that they love her, are proud of her, and are here for her no matter what! They both took this session to heart and had their own ideas to add. Dad created a playlist for his little girl and brought a big speaker so that he could play it during the session. Mom had poses that were special to the two of them that she wanted photographed as well. It was all so so beautiful to be a part of.
Pride Family Portrait Session
The entire evening we spent together was beautiful but my favorite part was my conversation with Mom at the end. She told me that she always wanted an open relationship with her daughters but that her biggest fear was them not feeling that it was there, or that she didn’t do enough to earn that openness. Her daughter coming out to her was her proof that she was doing something right. It almost brought me to tears!
The Results
Through some conversations with Mom after they recevied their Reveal Slideshow, she let me know that her daughter felt so special to be the focus of the whole session and that everyone had a great time on top of it all!
Supportive Family Portrait Session
This is what she left in her Google Review:
“Megan was phenomenal! We were celebrating a very special milestone within our family and she helped me make my daughter feel amazingly special. Megan was so warm, welcoming, and friendly and took amazing pictures that made us shed more than a few tears…”
Are you commemorating a special event soon? I would be honored to help you create something really unique and special for your family too! Get in touch here to get started!