Family Sessions in Boulder and Summit County
Packages and Pricing
Let's make your photoshoot fun.
You want photos that look like your family: a little loud, rarely still, and happiest outside. That's exactly who I like photographing. Below is how a session works, what's included, and what it costs.
Hello, there! I’m Susan.
I came to photography through film. I studied TV and film production, so I shoot a session like a story: the wide shot that sets the scene, the close-ups, and the moment right after everyone thinks we're done. That last one is usually the keeper.
Before Afar, I art directed photo and video shoots for outdoor brands, planning around light, terrain and weather so nobody stood around waiting. Your session gets the same planning, minus the production budget.
I also have a toddler at home, so I know how fast a good mood can turn. Snacks are a strategy. Bribery is allowed. And when someone lies down in the dirt and refuses to move, I'm not going to flinch. Some of my favorite frames start exactly that way.
I lived in Breckenridge for almost a decade, working every winter at the Breckenridge Ski School. My job was getting other people's kids down a mountain safely, in whatever weather rolled in, dodging all kinds of obstacles along the way . It's not the most glamorous line on my résumé, but it taught me to stay calm while responsible for a group of small, cold, very opinionated people in a wild place. After that, a toddler refusing to wear the outfit doesn't rattle me.
The families I photograph best would rather be outside than in front of a backdrop. If your kids won't sit still, good. Neither will we.
“With two elementary age children, rolling in after a week of mountain adventures, I wasn’t sure what we would get for photogenic attitude. Susan was a perfect match. She met my kiddos where they were, showed interest in their own ideas and made them comfortable quickly.”
What your session looks like, start to finish.
1. Book your date. Pick the package that fits and send me a couple of dates. I'll send a contract, and a $200 deposit holds your spot.
2. Plan it together. We’ll chat via email or hop on a quick call to talk through what you're picturing: a meadow, the foothills, somewhere deeper in the mountains, or an alpine lake if you're up for the hike. I'll send my style guide and help you settle on outfits, so you're not figuring that out the morning of.
3. The session. I keep it light and easy. People who warn me ahead of time about how awkward they are in front of a camera are usually the ones surprised by how relaxed it ends up feeling. We laugh, we wander, the kids run around, and I'm paying attention the whole time.
4. Your gallery. You'll get a preview gallery to narrow down to your included number. Send me your favorites within a week and you'll have your final images in 3 to 4 weeks. Everything downloads straight from the gallery, and I'm happy to deliver extra-large files for anyone planning to print big.
“I usually feel awkward taking photos, but our photoshoots with Susan were super fun, and you can tell when you look at the photos.”
Every Session Includes
A planning call to settle the place, timing and plan, so the day itself is easy
Locations picked for where the light falls at that hour, so nobody is squinting into the sun
My style guide and outfit help, sorted a week out instead of the night before
Enough direction to get everyone comfortable, then room for the moments in between
Every final image edited by hand, one at a time for a crafted look that brings you back to how things looked and felt in the moment—not a one size fits all preset filter
That's true whichever package you choose. The care doesn't change, only how much time and how many places we get to spend together.
“Susan has a gift for capturing personalities! The location was beautiful and the session was timed perfectly with the sunset!”
Family Session Packages
This is the one I love most. We pick somewhere worth the effort to get to: an alpine lake in Rocky Mountain National Park, a ridgeline above Breck, the trail you keep meaning to hike. I photograph the whole thing: the walk in, the piggyback halfway up, snacks on a rock, the view when you finally get there. Your gallery reads start to finish, the way the day did.
3 hours · up to three locations or one hike-in spot · unlimited outfits · 50 hand-edited images · highlight reel · full gallery of images +$500
$1,300
The Big Adventure
Seventy-five minutes gives a session room to shift. We start somewhere quiet, move to a second spot as the light drops, and the kids go from shy to silly to tired and back again. You get the calm portraits and the chaos, and the chaos is usually what people end up framing.
75 minutes · up to two locations · 2 outfits · 35 hand-edited images · full gallery of images +$400
$700
The Wanderer
One spot, 45 easy minutes. That's enough time for everyone to stop thinking about the camera, which is usually when the good photos start, and short enough for little ones who are done fast. It's a portrait of your family exactly as you are right now.
45 minutes · one location · 20 hand-edited images · full gallery of images +$300
$500
The Simple Session
Extended Family Sessions
Grandparents in town, cousins all in one place, everyone finally on the same trail. Those weekends don't come around often. I plan the groupings ahead of time, so we get every combination you want (each family, the grandkids together, the grandparents with everyone) without anyone standing around waiting. We'll pick a spot that's easy to reach for every age.
$850 for two households · $150 for each additional household · 90 minutes · one easy-access location · 40 hand-edited images · a planned list of groupings
Starting at $850
“She was open to our requests about location and groupings for photos, as we were a large multi-generational group. She also had great ideas for different poses and groupings. I thought it would be awkward or chaotic, but it was actually quite fun! The photos turned out beautifully and these are truly treasures for our family.”
Not every story happens on a mountain. This session is built around your regular life, at home or around your neighborhood: sledding down the hill behind your house and hot cocoa after, the family piling on the bed to read stories, making pancakes, the dog who's always in the middle of everything.
I'll give a little direction when it helps, but mostly I follow whatever you'd be doing anyway. It's the same way I photograph newborns at home, just with kids who can run.
$650 · 60 minutes · at home or in your neighborhood · 30 hand-edited images · weekday daytime sessions · Boulder and Summit County
$650
Close to Home
“We did our newborn session at our house… Susan was very patient and worked around fussiness and feeding. When our toddler got home, Susan got some great shots of the two kids and of the four of us”
Additional Images
Love more than your package includes? Add single images for $40 each, edited just like your favorites. Or keep the whole gallery for the price listed with your session: every image gets my color and light edit, with detailed retouching where it matters most.
Prints and albums
Most photos live on a phone and get looked at twice. The ones on a wall or in an album get looked at every day. I offer albums and framed prints through a professional lab, and I'll help you choose the images and sizes so they look right in your home.
“Susan also helped in a followup request to assist in a triptych of the photos I had printed for my home — no fuss with a fast response from her to help me solve it!”
Everyone Asks…
-
No. I don't need anyone sitting still and smiling on cue. Bring snacks, plan around naps, and well work together to make it fun!
-
Almost every family has one. I don't make anyone fake a smile. I give them something to do, and they usually come around faster than anyone expects. Some of my favorite frames are of the person who swore they'd hate it.
-
They say if you don’t like the weather in Colorado, just wait a minute, it’ll change.
If it's unsafe or the light is a total washout, we reschedule, and your deposit carries over to the new date. Some cloud cover is usually a good thing for photos.
-
I love to travel!
There's no travel fee anywhere in Boulder or Summit County. I'm happy to go further, like Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park or Vail, with a travel fee for the extra time on the road.
-
Most families have their final images in 3 to 4 weeks. Part of that is up to you: send me your favorites within a week of getting your preview gallery and I'll keep it on that schedule. Need photos rushed? Just ask me and we can work something out.
“Susan is the best! Can't recommend her enough. She makes family photos easy and seamless.”
Reggie C.
Ready to Book?
Choose Boulder or Summit County, pick a date that works (we can always change it), and tell me which session you'd like. I'll get back to you to confirm and send your contract. A $200 deposit holds your date.
Not sure which session fits, or planning something bigger? Pick a date anyway and tell me what you're thinking, or send me a note. I'm happy to talk it through.
Planning an Adventure, an extended family session, or just have questions?
Those take a little more coordination, so send me a note and we'll work out the date, place and plan together. Reaching out doesn't commit you to anything, and I'm happy to hop on a quick call.
Check out Afar Creative on these social channels:
“She was very professional, organized and responsive. She clearly laid out what to expect and times to be ready.”