Because your real life is beautiful. And it matters.
life changes quickly.
freeze this moment in time forever.
Best documentary family Photographer in Baltimore
Documentary family photography is photography that captures you in your life as you are. It’s not matching outfits and silly prompts. It’s raw, it’s real life, and it’s finding beauty in the chaos. It’s more than just a record of what you did - it’s preservation of what that felt like.
Anyone can take beautiful photos of your family for the Christmas card. I want to show you how you love and how you are loved.
Read more about my "why" here.
Capturing the beauty in the chaos
What is family documentary photography?
More Than A Portrait Session...
Documentary portrait sessions are designed for families that aren’t ready for a true day in the life session. This is best for families with one small child who isn’t mobile yet. In these sessions we will take a few “posed” portraits as a family and then capture you in your natural environment loving on each other. This is a much more natural alternative to the traditional newborn session- focusing instead on your connection, showing the love in the exhaustion of keeping this new life alive and thriving!
This session is also available to other families, but families with older children and/or multiple children are best served by Night in the Life or Day in the Life sessions!
Documentary portrait sessions last 1-2 hours and start at $750.
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Starting at $750 for 1-2 hours
Full edited gallery included
Family
documentary
Sessions
“A Night in the Life” is the perfect session for families with children of any age. They last 4-6 hours and usually start when the kids get home from school or parents get home from work and go until bedtime. There is so much love and beauty in the messy chaos of an ordinary evening. Your story deserves to be preserved authentically.
We usually start a few hours before bedtime. It gives us time to get comfortable with the stranger with the big camera. We have time to capture play, dinner time, and bedtime routine. But don't feel limited to those as the only options! We can also go out on an adventure. This time is yours to capture whatever you want to remember most about this time in your lives! I've done it all. No request is too crazy. It's your life. I'm honored to capture it.
"A Night in the Life" sessions start at $1500.
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Starting at $1500 for 4-6 hours
Full edited gallery included
A Night in the life
“Day in the Life” sessions capture a full day with your family. There for 8-12 hours I’m able to capture it all— the full routine! Trips to the store, the playground, playing pretend, making dinner, bedtime, all of it!
We can use this time to do whatever wherever. It's for all ages, all families, all sizes. I've even had extended families book a full day where they're all together and just want to capture the love and joy in the chaos and the mundane.
"Day in the Life" sessions start at $3,500. Average investment ~$4,000-8,000
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Starting at $3500 for 8-12 hours
Full edited gallery included
A Day in the life
Hiring me means you get to be fully present with your family while I quietly document the moments that matter most. The belly laughs, the messy hugs, the way your kids look at you right now, and all the little in-between moments you never want to forget. My promise? Honest photographs that bring you right back to this season of life, exactly as it felt. Ready to preserve these memories before they change? Let's make it happen.
Let's do this! Reach out so we can discuss how best to capture what you love most about your family in this moment.
Ready to Capture Your family?
I specialize in capturing heartfelt moments that go beyond the lens. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for genuine emotion, I am dedicated to capturing your family authentic way possible. My approach is centered on connecting with your family so that I can capture the real you. The best compliment I've gotten during a night in the life session was "you're really easy to be around, and really easy to ignore." There are kids I photograph every year who are so excited to spend the day with Miss Brea, because they know we're going to have a fun time. Let's do this!
Visual Storyteller, Passionate Photographer, Your Family's New Best Friend
(like the cheese)
hi, i'm brea!
The "m" family
"OMFG Brea. Why would I ever let anyone else take our pictures EVER? I am crying and laughing and omg these are just so good."
Our Photographer for Life
a literal showcase of those small moments people often miss, but, when caught on camera, can be treasured for a lifetime.
All of my collections include the full digital gallery, so your photos are yours to enjoy however you'd like. But the truth is, photos are meant to be lived with, not left on a hard drive. There's something special about pulling an album off the shelf and reliving a season of your life together.
For the families I photograph year after year, these albums become part of the fabric of their home. They're the books their kids flip through on rainy afternoons, the stories they revisit together, and eventually, the way they remember what their childhood felt like.
Relive Every Moment with Our Beautifully Crafted Wedding Albums
Family heirlooms
The "n" family
"OMG these are perfect. Your photos are always so amazing. You always photograph us so well. They're so real and so US."
So REAL, so US.
Because real life matters.
My business started in 2010 as a family photography business but I quickly became disenchanted by it. I didn't find joy from bribing kids to smile for the "picture perfect" photo. It's a stressful process. Parents have expectations of what they want the photos to look like, and children - especially young children - tend to have minimal patience for anything other than being themselves. It's not particularly glamorous or fun for anyone involved.
A couple of years into my business I started photographing weddings and fell in love with all of the beauty and emotion of couples' photography. As time went on, I grew both personally and as an artist and I discovered a love for nuance... the little moments, the small gestures, and I realized that I was doing it all wrong. Weddings aren't just about the couple - they're about their family and friends too. Every single person that's invited to your wedding is someone who helped shape the person that you are. There's an insane amount of love in one room. It became my mission to show people not just the love between them and their new spouse, but how loved they are by everyone in their lives.
It's the most fulfilling thing in the world... and I knew it didn't have to stop at weddings. In our short time on this beautiful planet, the thing that matters the most is connection. There's nothing more beautiful to me than being able to give you tangible proof of the love in your life.
I want your kids to see these photos and not think back to the day that they posed for a stranger, bribed by whatever candy or snacks were on hand, wearing coordinating outfits in a place they'd never been before and never visited again. I want them to be able to look back and remember what it felt like to be youthful, happy and loved... as they are.
Why Family Photography?
Which Session is Right For my Family?
It really depends on what you're looking for! I am happy to talk with you about your family and what your goals are for the session. Not every session size is the right fit for every family. I've had sessions that felt way too chaotic and too short of a time frame and others that were significantly longer than they needed to be. I'm happy to help guide you towards what's best for your family at this season of your life.
Do you offer Traditional Posed Portraits?
The documentary portrait session is the closest thing to a traditional family portrait session that I offer. With those we'll spend about 10-15 minutes on portraits and then depending on the age of your child(ren) we'll either do a fun activity with the goal of getting great moments in a limited time frame or focus on candids in the home.
If you are looking for a traditional family portrait session I am happy to recommend you to one of my talented colleagues!
Do you offer discounts for repeat clients?
Absolutely! If I photographed your wedding or you are a loyal family client, all session fees are discounted by $100! I want to be your photographer for life!
Frequently asked questions
