This was my second time traveling to Birmingham, Alabama as a travel photographer, and this trip carried a little more meaning than most. Years ago I photographed their engagement session in this same city, then their wedding back home in Puerto Rico. This time, I came to meet the newest member of the family, baby Diego, just three months old.

We started the session right at home, in the backyard of their new house, so we could capture a few candid family photos with their dog too. There is something so grounding about photographing a family in the place they actually live, where the light falls the way it always does and the dog knows exactly where to sit.

Family photos at home for babies and pets in Birmingham, Alabama

When there are babies and pets involved, home is often the best and safest setting for family photos. Mom and dad don't have to prep for a road trip, which is always a mission with an infant in tow, and pets don't need to adjust to a new environment full of unfamiliar stimuli.

From there, we moved to a community park nearby, surrounded by tall trees and open green space, perfect for the kind of soft, unposed family portraits I love most. We spent the afternoon following baby Diego's lead, catching him mid laugh, mid stretch, mid nap on a blanket in the shade while his parents held him close.

Non-newborn infants are still discovering the world around them and are usually too alert for fully sleeping photos, so most of the session happens down on the ground, cuddling and playing. Bringing a few different sheets or linens always helps, and of course, plenty of diaper and milk stops along the way.

Sessions like this remind me why I love family lifestyle photography so much. It is not about perfect poses. It is about documenting a season, a home, a small person who is changing every single day, and the two people who love him more than anything in the world.

If you are searching for a family photographer in Birmingham, Alabama who captures real, candid moments over stiff, staged ones, I would love to hear from you. I travel throughout the continental US and beyond for sessions just like this one.

xo,
Cami