milton front steps
family photos in 5 minutes
The easiest photo you'll ever love,
captured in five perfect minutes on your front steps.
No car rides, no bribery, no cleaning the house — just step outside, sit on your front steps, and I’ll take care of the rest. My Milton Front Steps photos are quick, relaxed, and surprisingly meaningful. I’ll text you when I arrive, we’ll spend five minutes capturing your family as you are in this season, and you’ll have a photo you’ll cherish — without the stress you’re used to.
I’m Jess McDaniel, and after more than 20 years photographing families across Boston — including over 130 of these Milton Front Steps sessions during the pandemic — I’ve got this down to a science. These five-minute sessions are packed with warmth, connection, and a little bit of magic.
Let’s make it easy to remember this season of life. Scroll down to see more, find pricing, and book your session.
WHEN ARE THESE HAPPENING NEXT?
Spring 2025
Monday, 4/28/25: 5-7pm
Thursday, 5/15/25: 4-7pm
Tuesday, 6/3/25: 4-7pm
Who can book THESE FRONT STEPS SESSIONS?
Milton families only
Travel time is important, so I can't do photos outside of Milton.
I'm sorry, I wish I could be flexible with location, but I book these appointments every 20 minutes, because I allocate 5 minutes for the photos and then 15 minutes for travel time to get to the next session. So I need to limit these sessions only to locations inside of the town of Milton.
WHEN I GET TO YOUR HOUSE,
I'll just text you.
I'm prompt, I'll be there right at the time we book.
And all you have to do is assemble your crew. It's SUCH an easy negotiation - tell everyone it's five minutes of their day, and that's it. You get my text, you meet me out in front of your home, and we go for it.
THE FINE PRINT
Rules for these photos
Gotta have some rules.
1) Wear whatever. Totally up to you. PJs? Sure. Fancy outfits? Sure. Whatever you want. Want to have the dog in your photo? Sure, absolutely. He's part of the family.
2) No pressure, this is just five easy minutes! We might move around a bit, depending on the light... but we'll usually do it somewhere very close to the front of your home.
3) Have fun! Maybe a tickle attack? Whatever works.
4) We all like outdoor photos, so if it rains, we'll reschedule. I'll be in touch that day to confirm or reschedule.
And that's it! A week or two after our session, I'll deliver you at least 3 edited, frame-worthy images from your front steps session.
SO HOW MUCH?
5 minute session + 3 edited final images = $100
Yes, the $100 includes 3 edited final photos as a download.
This rate includes my travel time to your home (I travel anywhere within the town of Milton for these sessions) and 3 final, edited frame-worthy photos posted online 1-2 weeks after your session for download.
Sound good? Let's do it.
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About Jess McDaniel
I'm Jess McDaniel. I'm a baby photographer, and because I've been doing it so long I've naturally become a family photographer, too. (My first babies from the early days of Boston Baby Photos are booking their senior photoshoots these days, and nothing makes me happier.)
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.
Want to hear more about my minishoots in the Public Garden for older kiddos? I'd love to chat with you!
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.
