Athens Family Photographer

I'm an Athens Family photographer specializing in modern, vibrant and fun photography for families. From babies to kids to teens, I know how to help you all look like your best selves.

My outdoor family portraits are stress free, fun, and easy. I will help you with your wardrobe for your photo session, help you choose a location, and take care of all the planning for you. I have many initially unexcited dads who thank me afterwards for the session being as great as it was.

When I'm posing families, they'll look candid, never stiff. I do that by making a fool of myself behind the camera. I will pose you, then ask stupid questions that make you and your kids laugh. I was a pre-school teacher before I became a photographer, so I know all about how to manage over-exuberant kids or bring a shy child out of their bubble. You'll feel at ease and look natural in front of the camera, right from the pages of a catalog for your images!

My Family Photography

Family Photos AthensModern, fun family photos!

My style is colorful and fun. Vibrant photos are important to show off the real character of your family. I am known for being patient and taking the time to get a shy child to open up, or waiting for a silly kid to calm a bit. The true smiles and real expressions captured in my photography will make the personalities of each family member shine.

The location you choose can set the mood, so I have a whole list of my favorite places to take family pictures. I make sure to find the best light and include the surrounding environmental area to make your photos stand out. I also help you with your family's wardrobe or just pick everything for you, making it even easier. The resulting prints and albums will be treasured by your family for generations to come.

You don't have to take only my word for it either, you can see my testimonials page for kind words from people like you. If you have any questions you can contact me or check out the FAQ below!




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Family Portrait Gallery

Thanks for checking on me for a family photo session! I'm pleased you're here, and I know that a good family portrait matters to you. But you've looked at so many photographers your head is spinning. How do you choose? Who is going to be good with your kids? How do you know that they can pose you so you don't hate your photos when you get them back? It's tough! You're already overwhelmed, then you have the session wardrobe to plan, the location to find, prints to do, photos to hang, cards to print or send.. it's enough to make you just want to quit.

Don't worry! I'm here to help! My style is vibrant and fun. You can expect to have the best images of your family with minimal props. You want a photographer who will do more than just hand you a bunch of digital images and leave you to do all the work yourself. I provide a cohesive gallery that will all go together so that when you're picking images for a wall gallery or album they'll all look good together.

I taught pre-k before opening my photo studio, so I know how to manage children. A lot of clients tell me how the kids they thought they'd have to bribe spend the next week talking about how fun Miss Heather was. Once you fill out your booking form, I know what your color preferences are and can suggest wardrobe options. I can even pretty much go shopping for you online and just send you thing to order. Before you arrive for your session, I've already scouted the locations and picked out the best places. After your session, I edit all of your images to their best, making sure that boogers, cuts (and the odd wrinkle or eye bags) are gone. You get to show off your sneak peeks on facebook, then when you come in for your ordering appointment I help you compare your images and put together your order. You can even order Christmas cards with your return address already printed on them! It's so easy!

Once you’ve contacted me for a date for your session, then filled out the booking form and paid, you’re all set! Before your session, we will have chosen the location. If it’s not one that I’m familiar with, I’ll have either arrived early that day to check it out or I’ll have looked at it earlier that week to know the best spots. If we’re shooting in your home, I’ll take a look around before bringing in anything. I’ll have a plan in place for what we’ll be doing in order based on who is being photographed.

For your session outdoors, we’ll shoot and stroll and shoot and stroll a bit more through the whole session. This give me the chance to work the wiggles out of the smaller kids as well as adding variety to your final proofs.

After your session, you’ll get some facebook peeks within a week, then you’ll be called back in for your ordering appointment in for haven’t already set that up. When you come in to order, we’ll watch a slideshow of all of your images, then go back through them to compare side-by-side, pick out cards, order prints or albums.

Family Photo Pricing

My prices are transparent and posted on my website for you to see at any time. My sessions start at $900. I know that most families want digital images from their photo sessions, but I also know what a pain it is for most people to do anything with that CD or USB drive full of pictures. For lots of people, they get it and it just sits in their drawer for years without being enjoyed. Too many clients tell me that they went to another photographer but they never printed the images they got. You'll get downloadable digital images from me, but also fully custom printed products as well, so you can really feel your photos. Turning the thick pages of a leather-bound album or standing in front of a beautifully framed wall print makes the portraits so much more real than scrolling through your tiny phone screen. See my Pricing Page for full information with pictures and videos of products.

Fall Family Portraits and Holiday Cards and Gifts

Autumn is traditionally the time when families schedule their photo sessions because of the holiday season. Fall pictures are wonderful because the weather has cooled down and the summer hectic time is past. Prints and albums make perfect gifts for Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa of course, but are also wonderful for Mother's Day, Father's day, Grandparent's day, and Valentine's day gifts. If you send holiday cards at the end of the year, what better way to show how your family has grown than with family photo cards? See my Pricing Page for full information with pictures and videos of products. Your memories for a lifetime will shine brighter as photo gifts.

Portrait Outfit Help

Picking out the best clothes for your pictures is often the toughest part of family portrait prep! Being a busy mom means it's hard to find time for those details. I help make it easier every step, from shopping for you online and just sending links on what to buy for each family member, to shopping with you in the store or looking at your texts to me with outfit ideas. It shouldn't have to be what stresses you out the most. See my family outfit ideas page for more.

My Family Portrait Expertise

I've been doing portrait sessions for local families in the Athens and Watkinsville area for 17+ years. I went to school for a degree in early childhood education and was a pre-school teacher before starting my photography studio, which means I have about 25 years of experience with kids. I know all the potty humor that works to get real smiles, all the games to play to get true poses, and all the fun things to say to see your child's true personality. I get told time and time again that my clients love how calm and patient I am, and your photo session will be absolutely fun!

Family Portrait Frequently Asked Questions

  • Is your style posed or candid?
    • It's a bit of both! I definitely love the classic images of everyone looking at the camera, but I feel like the fun images show your family connection and love. Look at the Family Gallery for images. Contemporary, modern photos are still timeless but not stale.
  • Do we get our digital images?
    • Your session fee includes some digital images, depending on that package you pick. See the Product Page to watch videos and see pictures of the amazing albums or prints you'll get.
  • My husband hates photos.
    • Seriously, I know. Mine too. There's nothing worse than daddies that just don't want to be there. I suggest a nice drink (no, really, just don't drink and drive) or two to loosen him up. Plus, the sessions are a lot of fun, I promise. I have many initially unexcited dads who thank me afterwards for the session being as fun as it was. You can read the Testimonials Page for comments from real clients just like you!
  • I feel ugly or fat.
    • Oh goodness, we all do! No one is perfect but it's important to be in your family photos. If you wait until you're the perfect size, your kids will never have you in their photo memories! I promise I will make you look your best self in your final images, and you'll be proud to hang them on your wall.
  • My kids are a hot mess and I worry we won't get good photos!
    • I totally get it, really. I was a pre-school teacher for years before becoming a photographer, so I know how crazy they can be! I have 20 years experience with managing children. No meltdowns here! I know you'll be thrilled when you see your images.
  • OMG what should we wear?
    • Don't freak out! Just pick two to three colors, and dress everyone in layers and shades of those colors. It's way easier to do in the fall than it is the summer because you have more layers to work with. See my what to wear page for more help, or just ask me to plan your wardrobe for you.
  • Where do you do photo sessions?
    • Anywhere you want! I have a page of the 10 best locations locally , but if what you're thinking of isn't on that list, let's make it happen!
  • What happens on our session day?
    • I usually show up about 15 minutes early if I've been there before, and earlier if I have never used the location. I will begin the session with asking your kids' names, then I will call them the wrong name... on purpose. :) It gets the kids laughing before we even start. Expect your session to have lots of laughs and silly questions. I always ask who the stinkiest person in the family is.. dads be prepared to be thrown under the bus! I play stupid games to get real smiles, and there are only tears if someone trips and falls.
  • How many images will we see?
    • You can expect to be shown 30-60 images. I show a few portraits in black and white as an artistic choice. You'll also see a pre-design of an album so that you don't have to guess at what your album would look like with your images. The images that I don't show you are pretty much cut for a reason, they're just not the best!
  • How long will it take us to get our images or albums?
    • After your session, it'll be about a week. I always provide a sneak peek of your photos within a week of your photo session. Around the end of that week, you'll be called back into my studio for your ordering appointment. After your ordering appointment, it takes about 2 weeks for prints to come in, and about 4 weeks for albums to come back. I'll let you now when everything is ready to be picked up, or I'll be mailing it to you if you're super far out of town.
  • What happens if it rains, or something else?
    • Not an issue. If it rains, we'll reschedule. Chances are that I've already been watching the weather a week in advance and I've already notified you that it might be raining. If it's anything over 50% chance of rain, we just pick another day. No biggie. If your child is sick or injured or you've had another family emergency, it's fine. We'll just pick another day!
  • How do I book a session with you?
    • Totally easy, you just fill out my contact form, and I'll be emailing with you right away! Once you've decided I'm the right photographer for you, we'll pick a date for your photos and I'll get you a booking form to fill out and pay for your session fee online.

Athens Photo Venues

I've been a photographer in Athens and Watkinsville for 17+ years, so I have had plenty of time to figure out where the best spots are. I know what looks best in the background of your portraits, where and at what angle the best light is, and what areas look best with your wardrobe. From formal to wild, a field of green grass to flowers, I will match your style to the locations I know look best. See my Top 10 Athens Photo Locations for more info.


Heather Lickliter Larkin - 706-338-4414 - 1720 South Lumpkin Ave Athens GA 30606

Athens, Watkinsville, and into Atlanta - Available for travel to Seattle, Portland, and New Orleans

heather@fairyography.com