An outdoor family photography photoshoot has two faces – one people know well and the other not so much.

The expected: everyone posed, looking at the camera, smiling. The classic family portrait. You see this shot everywhere when you search for a professional family photographer. It’s probably what’s on your mind as you read this article.

The unexpected: natural, imperfect, unrehearsed. Unscripted. The moments in between the planned shots, when people stop trying quite so hard to be perfect. They are photography’s version of an outtake. But they are the photographs families return to years later because they carry the strongest memories.

Producing the expected photos is what keeps my company in business. Capturing the unexpected photos is what gets us out of bed every day, and often becomes the most memorable part of the session.

This article pulls back the curtain on what we believe a family photoshoot should produce for you and ideas on how you might find the right photographer.

Make unexpected photos a promise, not a suggestion

Unexpected photographs don’t happen by accident.

They happen when a photographer treats them as part of the job — not a bonus, not a lucky moment, and not something that only happens if everything goes right.

They should be a promise.

In many photoshoots, the camera slows down or stops once the posed photo is finished. The work is considered “done,” and anything that happens afterward is incidental.

Our approach is different.

When the posed photo ends, the camera’s job has just begun.

We then go on the hunt for the real action: When kids stop trying to sit still, when dogs do what dogs do, when parents stop managing and start reacting. These unplanned moments are just as important as the planned ones. There’s no luck involved… we’re ready for those moments..

This is the heart of how we approach our family + pet photography sessions.

If you value these kinds of images below, they shouldn’t be something you hope for. They should be something your photographer is intentionally looking for.

Like the photos below. It’s a child interrupting a perfectly good posed photo by twisting away with a big grin. Or a muscular pup doing the same with her unsuspecting momma.

These are all part of the journey. It’s a shame if they aren’t captured.

What to look for when choosing a family photographer

We would bet dinner at a really nice restaurant that most, if not all, family photographers agree with the concept of capturing the unexpected photos.

But how many do it as part of what they provide?

Not many.

Think of choosing a photographer like you choose a grocery store. Clean floors and many other things make up what you might call mandatory. That’s how we think of the expected photos we described earlier. They are clean floors in a grocery store. Gotta have them.

But then there’s the unexpected. For a grocery store, it might be friendly people. For a photographer, it’s the photos that weren’t planned but were perfect because they described the experience.

If this kind of photography resonates with you, here are a few practical things to consider when you’re evaluating photographers:

• Start with the basics. If their posed photos don’t grab you, it’s unlikely they’ll succeed when things go off the rails toward the unplanned.
• Do you see movement in their galleries, or mostly stillness?
• Do children and pets look managed — or engaged?
• Are there moments that feel unscripted, even imperfect?
• Does the photographer talk enthusiastically about their craft?
• What gets them out of bed every day? Always ask this question.

These aren’t right-or-wrong differences. They’re signals.

Some photographers are set up to deliver certainty above all else. Others are ready for chaos.

Knowing which approach matters to you makes it easier to choose the right fit.

Like what you’re hearing? Then dig into our recent article on how we drive a photo session to get these amazing shots.

A final thought

Most people search for a family photographer based on what they’ve seen.

Ask them what they want… they don’t know what they don’t know.

Many clients tell us the photographs that matter most over time are often the ones no one thought to ask for.

Choose a photographer who sees things the way you want to remember them.

If this is the kind of photography you’re looking for, take a look at how our outdoor family and pet sessions actually work.

Todd Gurley is the photographer behind Outdoor Pet Photography, where he focuses on capturing animals and their human families outdoors.