When Should You Get Family Photos Taken?
A Toronto family photographer’s perspective — shared as a parent
You’ve booked the session, cleared your schedule, maybe even wrestled a toddler into their “soft pants.” One day, one set of photos, done… right?
Not quite.
As a Toronto family photographer — and a dad myself — I see this all the time. Parents trying to choose the right moment for family photos, while quietly feeling like time is slipping through their fingers.
The first steps.
The messy art projects.
The way your youngest looks up to their older sibling with pure awe.
You tell yourself you’ll remember it all.
But here’s the truth: memories fade, phones fill up, and life keeps moving.
One photo session captures a moment.
A thoughtful approach to family photography captures a legacy.
So… When Should You Get Family Photos Taken?
The honest answer?
More often than you think — and with less pressure than you expect.
Instead of asking “When is the perfect time?”, I encourage families to think differently:
What moments will we wish we had photos of later?
That shift changes everything.
A Photography Wishlist (Not a Checklist)
I often talk with families about creating a photography wishlist — not a rigid plan, but a gentle, evolving list of moments you’d love to remember over time.
Not polished, yearbook-style photos.
Not perfectly behaved kids.
But the real, heart-grabbing images that reflect what your family felt like in this time.
This isn’t about booking more sessions for the sake of it. It’s about helping you see family photography as an unfolding story, not a one-off event.
1. The First Year, Reimagined
Forget milestone blankets and forced smiles. Think:
Dressing your baby in early morning window light
The way dad’s goofy face finally stops the crying
The last nap in the crib before the big-kid bed appears
These moments disappear fast — and they’re deeply worth remembering.
2. A “Day in the Life” Session
A regular Tuesday. Pancakes, pyjamas, playground chaos.
No staging. No pressure. Just the honest rhythm of your everyday life — the stuff that rarely makes it into photos, but ends up meaning the most.
3. The Grandparent Session
Don’t wait for a wedding or a milestone birthday. Invite grandparents into the frame now — even if it’s just tea at the kitchen table or sidewalk chalk in the backyard. These photos often become the most treasured images a family owns.
4. Motherhood & Fatherhood Moments
Parents are almost always behind the camera.
Consider a session that focuses on you with your kids — bedtime snuggles, a walk through High Park, your signature dance move in the kitchen. You deserve to be visible in your family’s story.
5. Your Family “Home Base”
Whether you’ve just renovated, are planning to move, or simply want to remember life as it is now — photographing your family at home captures more than faces.
It captures feeling:
The couch where stories are read
The kitchen where everything happens
The backyard that held a thousand small moments
In-home family photography often becomes more meaningful with time, not less.
6. Big Transitions
First day of school. A new baby. Moving on from your first family home.
These chapters shape your family’s story just as much as birthdays do — and they deserve to be remembered.
Why Think About Family Photos This Way?
Because this version of your family exists only once.
Because your future self will be grateful you slowed down long enough to notice.
Because photography can be a gift that grows in value over time.
And because — honestly — you deserve to be in the frame, too.
Ready to Start Your Own Photography Wishlist?
You don’t need to plan everything at once.
A wishlist isn’t a checklist — it’s a conversation. I help families all over Toronto think through when to photograph their lives in a way that feels meaningful, natural, and unforced.
I’m based in Roncesvalles and photograph families across Toronto — at home, outdoors, or wherever your story naturally unfolds.
📩 Reach out here to start a conversation about your family photography wishlist at www.blackvinephotography.com.
