I will always love shooting in-home photo sessions for my clients — capturing them in the spaces that matter most is such a privilege. But there’s a certain magic to welcoming a family into the studio — working with a stylist to create an energy that feels relaxed and easy in the space itself, and then watching a family fill that space in their own way. It happens so differently than in an in-home session, but it’s so special, nonetheless.

I met Meghan, Pete, and their daughter Anya for a family studio session at The Bananaland in late fall last year, just before Anya turned 1. She was at the perfect age to explore the studio and snuggle with her parents too.

Lots of people have the misperception that a family studio session has to feel forced or fake, but that’s totally not the case! Giving kids a new space to safely explore can often lead to surprising moments of independence as well as gorgeous, unprompted moments of connection with their parents.

For the last few years, I’ve been shooting my family studio sessions and many other sessions at The Bananaland—an amazing, sweeping space on the third floor of an old industrial building in Bridgeport. I LOVE this space and all it has to offer, whether it’s for a large corporate shoot or a more intimate family studio session like this one.

Regardless of the size of the space, giving kids the room to play in a studio setting always leads to beautiful candid photos. Pete and Meghan brought a few of Anya’s favorite toys, and we all just played!

I love how the images from their session turned out. You can feel the love that’s palpable between the three of them, and the fierce, brave personality of this little girl too. Some of my favorite photos from the session are of Anya by herself!

I loved getting to know this family as part of their celebration of Anya’s first birthday and I can’t wait to capture them again soon!