When you’re booking a photo session for your family, what are you really looking for?

With so many photographers in Tulsa and the surrounding areas, it can feel overwhelming to figure out who’s the right fit and what style of photography even makes sense for your family. One of the biggest decisions you’ll make is choosing between posed portrait sessions and documentary photography. Let’s break down the differences to help you decide what works best for you.

I get this question all the time: “If we’re just hanging out, won’t that be boring?” A lot of families worry they need to plan an activity or go somewhere special for their documentary family photo session. They ask, What are we supposed to do?

Here’s the honest answer: you don’t need to do anything out of the ordinary.

The easiest way to think about documentary photography is like a documentary you’d watch on Netflix. It’s real life, as it actually happens. It’s not a Hollywood blockbuster with perfect lighting and scripted moments—it’s honest, meaningful, and often far more interesting because it’s true. Documentary photos are a photojournalistic approach to photos. I won’t ask you to pose, look at the camera, repeat something you just did or even turn on lights to alter the environment.