I recently had a milestone photography shoot and realized that I don’t talk about them as often as my other sessions. I wanted to write a blog post about what a milestone photo session is like and what you can expect with a few milestone photography ideas. Usually, when I talk with people about milestone photography, annual school photos come to mind. Fake backgrounds, forced smiles, and usually an unplanned outfit to boot. I often feel like these school photos fall short of really capturing my child’s personality at that particular moment in their life. This is why a short milestone photography session is a great option.

Milestone sessions are one-on-one time with your child- capturing who they are and what they’re like in that time of their life.

A few milestone session ideas for your session, we laugh, play games and I make sure that your child feels at ease especially since they are the center of attention.

In the recent session I did, the mother of the child said, “I was a bit nervous to see how my daughter was going to do with someone she hasn’t met before, especially after being in quarantine for so long, but she loved Madison and we got the best pictures of our sweet girl. After we left my daughter exclaimed that she was “so sad to leave” because she had so much fun with Madison.” During a family photography session, I always grab a few headshots of each individual member of the family but a milestone session feels extra special because it’s all about them and we can explore more milestone photography ideas and themes.

 A common misconception is that milestone photography is only for first birthdays or cake smashes but there are many milestone photography ideas to explore.

Milestone sessions can be as frequent as you’d like them, in fact, I usually take milestone photos of my kids every year around their birthday. Some might think that’s too frequent but kids change so fast and it’s really hard to notice until you’re looking at pictures of your 12-year-old now 13-year-old and you can’t believe how much has changed in a year.

After our session, she said “I would absolutely recommend Madison for capturing your family… authentically themselves in that moment of time. Life really does go so quickly, make sure you take a moment to capture it along the way.”

Like any photography session with Madison Thomson Photography, I am available to talk through clothing and location options, and any other questions or concerns you might have. “At every step of the way, Madison will contact you or send you emails with helpful tips and is willing to help ensure you have a great experience and successful session. I loved that she made the entire process very easy, and I knew what to expect.”

Photography sessions, no matter who is in front of the camera, should be smooth and enjoyable. Taking family photos should never be synonymous with pulling teeth and if it is, I can show you what you’re doing wrong.

If you’re interested in having a milestone session for your child and want to talk about some milestone photography ideas, send me an inquiry, and let’s talk through how to make it happen!

You can read more reviews of what it’s like to work with me!