The short answer
Bridget Daehler photographs family portraits across Austin, Dripping Springs, Lakeway, Georgetown and Lake Travis. Sessions run $350 for 45 minutes with five edited images and $500 for a three hour golden hour session with ten, outdoors in natural light. Newborns, babies, extended family groups and multi generation sessions are all standard.
Family sessions are the least posed thing Bridget shoots. Nobody is asked to stack themselves into a pyramid or say a word in unison. She works outdoors in the last light of the day, keeps people moving and talking, and photographs what happens in between the frames everybody thinks are the frames.
The technical part is simple: focus on the eyes, expose for skin, and use the sun as it actually is rather than fighting it. The human part is the work. Getting a four year old to be a four year old on purpose, and getting a father of three to forget the camera exists, is the skill you are hiring.
What a family session includes
Every session includes location and wardrobe guidance before the day, direction that stays light on the day, and hand edited images delivered in a private online gallery with print rights.
| Session | Length | Edited images | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Signature | 45 minutes | 5 | $350 |
| Golden hour | 3 hours | 10 | $500 |
| Full story | 5 hours | 20 | $850 |
| Heirloom | Full day | 20+, album | $1,500 |
Additional edited files are $50 each. A full proof buyout is $250.
Babies, newborns and the first year
Newborn sessions run in the first two weeks, at home, in whatever light the house has. Milestone sessions at six months and one year move back outdoors. If you plan the whole first year up front, the sessions can be booked together and shot in the same locations so the set holds together on a wall.
Extended and multi generation groups
Grandparents fly in, cousins arrive, and everybody is in one place for about four days. That is the window worth using. The three hour golden hour session is built for it: the full group first while everybody is fresh and tidy, then the smaller combinations, then the children alone while the adults are still standing around.
Planning your session around the calendar
Fall books first in Austin. October and early November hold the best combination of comfortable temperatures and low warm light, and holiday card deadlines pull the whole market into a six week window. If you want a fall session, ask in July or August. Spring, from mid March through early May, is the second best window and the wildflowers do a lot of the work for you.
Families who are also photographing a graduating senior often book both in one trip. That is worth mentioning when you inquire, because the pricing and the scheduling both get easier.
Contact sheet
Families, in the last light of the day
Questions
Answers, before you ask
01How much do family photos cost in Austin?
With Bridget Daehler, $350 buys a 45 minute session with up to three outfits and five edited images, and $500 buys a three hour golden hour session with ten. The five hour full story session is $850 and the heirloom collection is $1,500. Additional edited files are $50 each and a full proof buyout is $250.
02What time of day is best for family photos in Texas?
The last ninety minutes before sunset, almost always. The light is low and warm, the ground has stopped radiating heat, and small children have not yet hit the end of the day. In June and July that means starting around 7:15 pm; in November it means starting around 4:45 pm.
03How many people can be in a family session?
Extended family groups are welcome. Groups over about twelve people need the longer three hour session so every combination gets photographed without rushing: everybody, each nuclear family, the grandparents with the grandchildren, the siblings, the couple.
04When should we schedule newborn photos?
The classic curled newborn look holds until about day fourteen. Book during the third trimester and hold a flexible window rather than a fixed date, since babies arrive when they arrive. Sessions after week three are lifestyle sessions, and they are lovely too, just different.
05What should our family wear?
Soft, mid tone colors in breathable fabrics that sit within one palette rather than matching exactly. Cream, sage, dusty blue, rust and warm grey all photograph well against limestone and dry Hill Country grass. Full guidance is on the what to wear page.
06Where do family sessions happen?
Outdoors, in real places: Commons Ford, Mount Bonnell, Zilker, Blue Hole in Georgetown, the shoreline at Lakeway and Lake Travis, and family ranches west of Dripping Springs. Bridget picks the spot with you based on where you live and what the light is doing that month.
07How long until we see the photos?
A small preview arrives within a few days of the session, and the full edited gallery follows inside two weeks. Rush delivery is available for holiday card deadlines if you ask when you book.