Cherish Every Milestone with Timeless Family Portraits
Creating authentic and heartfelt images that reflect your family's love and connection, preserved in stunning custom artwork.
A moment now. A memory for always.
My son was so nervous to have his pictures taken. Rachel eased him into it. She was so gentle and kind to him! The pictures came out so beautiful! I would definitely recommend her to anyone! -K.F.
Capture the moments that matter most
Timeless Portraiture for Your Family
As a Boston family photographer, I believe portraits are about more than getting everyone to smile at the camera. They are about capturing connection, joy, and the love that makes your family unique. Families across Boston, Central Massachusetts, and beyond invite me to create timeless family portraits that turn fleeting moments into heirloom artwork.
The Experience
Working with a Massachusetts family photographer means enjoying a guided, thoughtful process designed to keep your session relaxed and meaningful. From our first conversation, I’ll help you plan clothing, location, and the overall feeling you want your portraits to convey. Whether you imagine your session in a Boston park, your own home, or a special place your family loves, my goal is to create images that reflect your story.
What Makes These Portraits Different
For me, family photography in Boston and across Massachusetts isn’t about posed pictures — it’s about authentic moments. The way your child’s laugh fills the air. The bond between siblings. The quiet look between parents. These little details are what make your family yours, and what transform your portraits into artwork worth displaying. We love children and are comfortable with their silly, playful, moving little selves. We welcome them to be exactly who they are during our sessions, so your portraits remind you of this unforgettable and fleeting time long after it has passed.
Artwork to Treasure
Your portraits shouldn’t live only on a screen. Many families seeking fine art family portraits across Massachusetts choose to transform their images into wall art, albums, or portrait boxes, creating tangible heirlooms that last. Together, we’ll create artwork that not only captures today but becomes part of your family’s story for generations.
Let's Talk
If you’re searching for a Boston family photographer who will celebrate your family with warmth, artistry, care, and a lot of fun, I’d be honored to work with you. Let’s create portraits that reflect the love and connection you treasure most.
About Your Custom Family Portrait Session
We love photographing children and families! We are parents, so we're relaxed and comfortable with children, and they sense that as well. Understanding kids and being at ease helps us capture those authentic expressions and interactions that you'll remember and cherish. That's why so many families choose Rachel Smook Photography to be their Boston family photographer.
Your Child and Family Portrait Experience
Consultation
Your portrait session begins with a one-on-one consultation to design the session of your dreams. Together, we’ll discuss:
✦ Your vision, goals, and any special requests
✦ Session locations, styling, and aesthetic preferences
✦ Investment options and fine art products
You’ll also have the opportunity to hold and experience our curated studio samples—seeing the exquisite finish and quality of the heirloom artwork we create.
Portrait Session
On the day of your session, we’ll meet at your chosen location for a relaxed, natural, and beautifully crafted experience.
✦ Sessions typically last about an hour, allowing for a variety of poses and intimate, elegant portraits.
✦ Children's sessions are designed with flexibility in mind, ensuring plenty of time for kids to be kids, capturing authentic moments, and gentle posing. You can relax, knowing we're comfortable helping children be at ease in front of the camera for beautiful, genuine portraits.
With gentle guidance and a stress-free approach, I help you and your family feel comfortable, confident, and relaxed in front of the camera.
Editing
Following your session, I meticulously hand-edit each image to bring out the warmth, depth, and artistry of your portraits. Within 2-3 weeks, I will prepare a carefully curated collection of images that tell the full story of your session—every detail, every emotion, beautifully preserved.
Reveal Session
Your fine art experience concludes with a reveal and artwork selection session—a moment to relive your session and select the perfect artwork for your home.
With our interactive selection software, you’ll be able to:
✦ View your images in a stunning slideshow presentation
✦ Easily compare and select your favorite portraits
✦ See exactly how your artwork will look in your space before ordering
Rachel Smook is a gifted portrait photographer and artist. This was our first time using a professional photographer for family pictures, and I wasn't sure what to expect. Our two boys generally refuse to cooperate for informal photos, I hate being photographed (and seeing myself in pictures), and my husband bristles at the idea of "posed" photographs. During the outdoor session, though, magic happened. Rachel calmly put us at ease and playfully engaged the kids. The time with Rachel gave us space to enjoy being a family without daily life's distractions and demands.
A world-class photographer, and a pleasure to do business with—a truly great combination! - Leslie C.
Our Mission
It is our honor and purpose to tell your story in beautiful keepsake artwork. We will craft images that capture the unique little details that make you YOU, and we’ll show you the beauty and joy of your family relationships. We’ll help you relax and enjoy yourself so that your images show your truest and most authentic self. After your session, we’ll offer you a selection of carefully curated products to preserve your images, including archival photographic prints, heirloom albums, and wall art that will last a lifetime. We stand behind our work and our products and are proud of our signature experience. Our goal is a happy client, every single time.
Collections
Your portrait session retainer is $250, and what you purchase beyond that is entirely up to you. Portrait clients can choose a package of our most popular products or can build their own from our carefully curated a la carte menu. Most of our portrait clients choose to preserve their images in a custom portrait album, and usually select seeming for their walls at home as well. There is no minimum investment, and we include social-size digital copies of all purchased images so that you can share with your family and friends.
Frequently Asked Questions
We have lots! We don’t reveal our locations until you book with us, because we have chosen them carefully and don’t want them to get crowded, but you can get a sense of our options from visiting our Instagram page. We’ll talk to you when you reserve your portrait session to find out what kind of look and experience appeals to you, and we’ll tailor our locations to your needs. While we love working outdoors in beautiful places, we can also do studio work if it’s a better fit for you.
I have some resources for choosing clothing that I will share with you when you reserve your session, and I’m happy to look over your choices before we start if you’d like. Generally, what I want to pay attention to is your face, not your clothes, so soft colors and neutrals work very well. We ask you to avoid busy patterns and graphics so that the focus is all on you. We’re happy to share lots more details when we begin planning your session!
Yes, we will do an in-person design meeting to plan your session, share our product samples, and get to know one another. This will help you feel more relaxed and comfortable during your session, and will let me design your session around your wishes and needs. It’s all a part of our signature custom approach!
We customize everything we do, so what you spend depends on your dreams and wishes. Once we have our consultation to identify your goals and desires for your portrait session, we will go over our investment menu and help you choose the package that most fits your needs.
We’ve got you! If it’s pouring, that’s too much of a risk for our equipment, and we’ll be glad to reschedule. We don’t generally cancel if it’s sprinkling, and some of the photos our clients have loved best have happened when there are occasional drizzles. We’re capturing your personality and your relationships, which shine through in any weather. Plus, the light right after it rains is absolutely magical. We’ll keep an eye on the weather together and will be in touch the day of your session to make decisions with you about whether to proceed if the skies are dicey.
Well, yes and no. We know how to take beautiful natural light portraits, and we are also confident and comfortable using supplemental lighting to create extra depth and dimensionality in your portraits. A photographer should never be limited by lighting conditions. We’ll do whatever we need to do to give you gorgeous, well-lit images no matter what weather or locations we’re working in.
Your session retainer covers the consultation we have to design your custom session, any assistance with choosing clothing, the session itself, custom editing of your images, and a reveal session where you will view your images and choose any that you’d like to purchase.
Absolutely not. I hate that, and I would never do that to a client. At your reveal session, I am there as your consultant, answering questions, helping to sort through the merits of one image over another, designing your wall art, and mainly just enjoying your reaction as you view your images for the first time. You are in total control over what you invest and I will never push you to spend more than you want to.
Oooh, you’re our favorite. Most people hate having their picture taken, and we are committed to making it fun for you to work with us! Most of our clients wrap up their sessions and events by saying, “That was more fun than I expected it to be,” and we love that. We have lots of tips and tricks to get you looking and feeling relaxed, and we take our time to make sure we capture beautiful images that leave you feeling good about your time with us.
First and foremost, we believe that photographs are meant to be seen. We want them out in your house, in your hands, in your daily experience. Also, technology changes so fast, and we don’t want you to look around in ten years and realize you can’t open your images anymore. Printed photographs are why we know what our grandparents looked like as newlyweds. We want the same for your family in later generations. This is also why we choose our labs so carefully. We only work with labs that are exclusive to professional photographers, using careful construction and archival papers and inks so that your artwork lasts. Our labs guarantee their products so that we can guarantee yours.
As soon as you know you need a photographer! While it’s always worth checking to see if we’re free at the last minute, it’s not uncommon for clients to book us a year or two ahead of their event dates and months before their portrait session dates.
Nope! Nobody wants a photo of Uncle Jim with one eye closed and food in his mouth. We carefully curate our images to present you with photos that you’ll be proud to display and share and keep. While you’ll have plenty of images to choose from, we’ll only deliver those that meet our high standards for image quality.
No, we only deliver fully finished images. Unedited files are like cake ingredients at a bakery. The finished product is what you hire us to produce, and we put time and energy into delivering the best images we can offer.
With pleasure. We support you, whoever you are, whoever you love, and however you’re celebrating, and we can’t wait to tell your unique story. Love has no limits.
Our products and packages are carefully curated and priced according to their value, so the short answer is no. That said, we want you to have exactly what you want, so we’re happy to create a custom package just for you. No matter what you choose to spend with us, you will receive our signature service and will receive heirloom products and images that will last for a lifetime.
Your Reveal & Ordering Session
We’ll view your proofs together and I’ll help you narrow down your favorites. I’ll go over available sizes and product options with you, and you can choose the artwork and display options that best suit your needs. I will never pressure you to purchase more than you wish; I want you to be happy with your choices! And because I know you want to share your images through email or social media, purchased prints include a social-sized digital file to share as you wish.
Child & Family Pictures
Parent & Child
Siblings
Child Portraits
Rachel is amazing. Her shots aren't just "pictures" - they capture the emotion and the life of the subject and the moment. Truly special photography. - Tylan G.
Family Photography Resources
What to Wear for Your Family Portraits
How Family Photos Boost Your Child’s Self-Esteem
5 Questions to Ask a Potential Family Photographer
About Rachel Smook Photography
I’m Rachel, and I’m a wedding, portrait, and Bar Mitzvah photographer based in Massachusetts and willing to travel as far as your dreams will take you. As the parent of teenagers, I’ve learned that everything is better with some humor thrown in, and I’ve also learned how FAST life goes by. Photography gives me a way to stop time, both for my family and for yours. I’m a sucker for the little details: those tiny fingers wrapped around yours, the way he looks at you when you come down the aisle, the way you laughed at that little shimmy she did on the dance floor. It’s the little moments that make the sweetest memories, and I’m a feelings junkie, so I am THERE for them. I believe that laughter is good medicine, that love is love, and that memories are worth keeping.