lifestyle sessions
AT HOME OR ANYWHERE YOU CHOOSE
A true family photo isn’t about perfection
it’s about presence, love, and story.
The way their little hand tugs at yours. The belly laughs that echo through your home. The simple, everyday magic of life with young kids — the kind that feels ordinary now but will be priceless later.
I’m Jess McDaniel, and for more than 20 years, I’ve photographed families across Boston in the places that mean the most to them. No stiff poses, no forced smiles — just real, fun-filled moments captured naturally, whether we’re playing in your backyard, exploring your favorite beach, or chasing giggles through your home.
Let’s document this season of life, just as it is. Scroll down to see more of my work, find pricing, and book your session.
Video About My Photoshoots
WATCH LIFESTYLE SESSION SAMPLE VIDEOS
These slideshows were made for my @bostonbabyphotos Instagram—so, let’s just say the music choices are… creative. Feel free to watch with the sound off (I won’t be offended!).
6 1/2 years old and 5 years old making cookies at home in Dedham
3 years old and 6 months old at home in Marshfield
6 years old and 2 years old in their West Roxbury backyard
12 years old and 9 years old at home in Southie
3 years old and 14 months old playing at home in Milton
1 year old, a birthday session at home and in the yard in Dedham
14 years old, 12 years old and 10 years old playing in the pool in Cambridge
6 months old with his grandparents at home in Jamaica Plain
PRICING
In Home Photoshoots
Lifestyle Photoshoot (Jan-Aug)
$1110
45-90 minute lifestyle photoshoot at home or at a location you choose during my quieter season between Jan-Aug
1-2 locations
Expert posing guidance
50-75 final edited JPG files sent via download 1-2 weeks after your session
Order Prints & Products a la carte
Lifestyle Photoshoot (Sept-Dec)
$1210
45-90 minute lifestyle photoshoot at home or at a location you choose during my busy season between Sept-Dec
1-2 locations
Expert posing guidance
50-75 final edited JPG files sent via download 1-2 weeks after your session
Order Prints & Products a la carte
A LA CARTE
Options
Coffeetable Albums
$295
My heirloom albums are the perfect way to preserve your images and look back on your baby's photos for years to come. You can select any photos you'd like from your session and I will design layouts for you in a custom coffeetable album. The photos are printed on thick, cardstock pages. If you'd like a book made combining photos from multiple photoshoots we take over your baby's first year, consider my Baby's First Year Package. Additional copies of my albums are $175.
Mounted Prints
$26 - $48
I print on Kodak Professional Endura Premier Paper, which is the most popular paper used by professional photographers. The paper boasts "accurate color, realistic saturation, excellent neutral flesh reproduction, and great intensity and offers brighter blues, cyans, purples, and reds". It has a standard archival value of 100 years in home display; 200 years in dark storage. The pricing for these archival mounted prints is 4x6 = $26, 5x7 = $32, 8x10 = $48... etc.
Annual Plan Package
$1775
UPGRADE & DO TWO SESSIONS THIS YEAR
(the amount you paid for your lifestyle session would be applied to this total)
Feel like your kids are growing way too fast? Want a nice, regular way to keep up with documenting them as they grow? One popular option is to upgrade after your lifestyle session to add one of my Public Garden minishoots 6-9 months later and then I'll design you a coffeetable album after the two sessions.
I'd love to help, Do YOU have
More Questions?
Want to see a full lifestyle session gallery?
If you'd like to see a full lifestyle session gallery, I'd love to show you one. You can ask for one using my contact page here. In your note, just let me know a bit about your family (maybe let me know the ages of your kids?) so I can send you a gallery that's closest to what you're looking for.
Would you like to have a quick phone call?
I'm more than happy to jump on a quick phone call so that I can get to know you better, and I can answer all of your questions. Click the button below to visit my scheduling page, where you'll find the link to book a stress-free 15-minute phone consultation.
Ready to book your lifestyle session?
If you know when you'd like to do your session and it's in the next few months, click the button below to check my available photoshoot schedule for the next couple of months online.
If you'd like to do your session more than 2 months from now, contact me and let me know your timing. I'll schedule an email to go out to you when I open booking for the month you're considering.
About Jess McDaniel
I am so lucky to have spent the last two decades taking pictures of babies, families, and expectant mothers in their homes all around the Boston area. I love what I do every day, and I feel so fortunate to have chronicled fun, crazy, quiet, energetic, and sweet moments for hundreds of fantastic families over the years.
I travel anywhere within an hour of Boston for photoshoots. Outside of photography, I truly love The Container Store, salty food and my husband and daughters. And not necessarily in that order.
FAQs
How do I book a time for a photoshoot on your calendar?
Visit this page here. My photoshoot calendar opens about two months in advance, which means in December my January and February calendars are open, in January my February and March calendars are open, and so forth throughout the year. If you already know a particular time of year when you'd like to take photos, just email me and ask to be put on my "contact first" list for any given month. Then I'll be in touch with you directly when that month of the year is open for booking.
NEWBORNS: I do save a few additional appointments each month for newborns, so if you've just had your baby in the past few weeks or months and the shoot times listed on this page don't work for you, let me know and I'll let you know if there are any other appointments available that aren't listed here.
WAITING LIST: As you can imagine with small children and stuffy noses, etc., I get a ton of cancelations (pretty much at least one every week or two). If you would like to try for an earlier appointment than what you see listed, you can ask to be added to my waiting list. Just send me an email: [email protected]. When I have an opening, I email the entire waiting list at once, and the first reply gets the spot. I schedule sessions usually on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and many Saturdays and Sundays at 9am, 11am, 1pm and 3pm.
Can I buy a gift card for someone else?
Absolutely! Visit my shopify store here to purchase a gift card for anything you'd like. If you don't see what you're looking for, contact me directly and I'm happy to make you a custom gift card.
I saw somewhere you do online courses teaching parents to take photos with their phones? Where do I find out about that?
Oh yes, that's for 1-2 year olds, it's called my Iconic Set by Boston Baby Photos® program - you can learn more here.
When do you do your Public Garden Minishoots?
In order to address demand for photos once babies are walking around and exploring their world, I'm in the Public Garden twice each spring and fall doing minishoots for families with children who are all over a year old. I announce those dates a few months prior, and loads more info with pricing and samples can be found on the Public Garden Minishoots page of my site here.
I have a question that's not answered here, can we do a phone call?
Of course, my phone call calendar is here. If you don't see a time that works for you, pop me a quick email ([email protected]) and I'm sure we can find a time for a call soon.
