Family In-Home Session // The Lloyd Family // NC Family Photographer

I first photographed the Lloyd family a few years back when it was just Bethany, Joshua, Jude and their beloved Old English Sheepdog, Jax. Fast forward to now. Sweet Forest has joined the family and a little sister will be joining the mix in a few short months.

Here’s what I love about this family. They are intentional about maintaining connection to each other. They make time for play. They allow space for each individual to bloom.

We started off the session just hanging out in their living room and gave everyone the freedom to move around as they pleased which ended up with a dance party to the boys’ favorite music. We brought the energy down as they cuddled in the bedroom, which of course only lasted for so long giving us time to allow for a few moments for just Joshua and Bethany. We soon found Jude puzzling in the dining room and started brewing up some coffee. In my last session with them, I documented Jude sipping his favorite beverage, coffee. It only made sense to bring back that tradition. To let a little more energy back, we took to the yard. The boys planted some seeds before deciding that they wanted to take the action to the backyard, full of trampoline, bicycle and mud pie fun.

Here’s the thing. Bethany talked about creating an experience that would allow for her boys to just have fun, to not worry about being photographed, to simply be kids. And that’s what I hope for every documentary session I have: to forget about “perfect poses” or asking everyone to “cheese” at the camera. I want to slow down and allow more room for the magic to be documented as it happens. With the Lloyd family, it all unfolded in the most natural way. In this slowing down, I had more opportunity to really notice what made them so special and fingers crossed, I captured just that.

It’s a dream of mine to have the opportunity to have sessions like this with other families, where the kiddos can run wild, and everyone feels free to express themselves wholeheartedly. Until then, here are the lovely, lovely Lloyds. 🧡