As a photographer who captures some of the most special chapters of families’ lives from maternity to newborn portraits to family photos, I get to see the joy photography brings to families on a daily basis. In fact, one of the best parts of my job is seeing the pure happiness and love on clients’ faces when they see their portraits. And you don’t just have to take my word for it - there are numerous scientific studies that have noted how our brains react to sentimental photos. I always find these studies fascinating so let’s explore a few of them together.

When I’m planning a photo session with a client at my Seattle area photography studio, one of the first questions we’ll talk about is whether they want an indoor or outdoor photo shoot. There’s really no right or wrong answer - they each have different styles and aesthetics, and there are pros and cons to each. Outdoor portraits give us the stunning backdrops of beautiful Washington while indoor portraits give us the comfort and convenience of controlling the environment. So, naturally, some clients who can’t decide will ask me, can we do both? Here are my thoughts.