Honest Photography Education for Lifestyle & Family Photographers
If you’ve been in photography for more than five minutes, you know how easy it is to buy all the photography courses.
Every launch promises clarity. Every sales page tells you this will be the thing that changes everything, your work, your bookings, your confidence. Sometimes that’s true. But more often than not, courses sit half-watched in a folder while real life happens.
So instead of sharing a massive list of photography education I’ve taken, I want to share the photography courses that actually changed my work. The ones that shaped how I photograph families, prompt clients, and notice the quiet, meaningful moments.
These are the photography courses (and one book) I genuinely loved, and still think about when I’m shooting today.
Brooke Schultz — Love Soaked
Best Comprehensive Photography Course for Lifestyle & Family Photographers
If I had to recommend one photography course to a family or lifestyle photographer, it would be Love Soaked.
This course completely reframed how I approach family photography. Not as something to control, but something to gently guide. Brooke teaches prompting in a way that feels natural, emotional, and deeply human.
This course helped me:
- Move away from stiff, overly posed images
- Trust connection over perfection
- Photograph families as they are, not how I think they should look
- Help me understand how her tools and resources are utilized in real time with 4 Behind the Scenes Session Videos
If you’re searching for a lifestyle photography course focused on connection, emotion, and storytelling, Love Soaked is foundational.
Love, Daphne Mae — The Sacred Maybe
A Photography Course About Noticing & Storytelling (No Longer Available)
While The Sacred Maybe is not available at this time, its impact on my photography still shows up daily.
This course wasn’t about camera settings or posing. It was about learning to notice. The mundane, beautiful moments that are already happening in front of us.
Things like:
- Your baby hugging your legs while you wash dishes
- The way they curl into the crook of your neck
- The quiet pauses that don’t look “Instagram-perfect” but feel deeply real
This course changed how I prompt clients. Instead of asking them to perform, I learned how to guide them toward moments that already exist in their everyday life.
For photographers wanting to create story-driven family photography, this way of seeing is everything.
Ana Dufreche Photography — Posing Course
A Posing Course for Lifestyle Photographers Who Still Want Structure
I love movement, imperfection, and connection, but there are moments when structure matters.
Ana Dufreche’s posing course helped me understand:
- How bodies interact in a frame
- How to create flattering, intentional compositions
- How to guide without interrupting connection
If you’ve ever thought:
“I love documentary photography, but sometimes I freeze when I need to pose someone…”
This course is for you. It gave me confidence to step in when needed, and step back out when it was time to let moments unfold.
Joy Prouty — Practicing Presence
A Photography Book Every Creative Mother Should Read
This isn’t technically an online photography course, but it has shaped my work just as much as any formal education.
Practicing Presence helped me clarify what matters to me as a photographer, a business owner, and a mom. It’s a reminder that photography isn’t about trends or algorithms—it’s about attention.
This book helped me:
- Define my artistic voice
- Release comparison
- Create work rooted in intention instead of pressure
If you’re feeling disconnected from your photography or burned out creatively, this book is a quiet, grounding reset.
Marie Elizabeth Photography — Art of Motherhood Course
The Art of Motherhood is one of those photography courses that quietly raises your standards without asking you to become someone else.
Rather than chasing trends, this course focuses on refinement. How you approach sessions. How you guide families with confidence. How you build a body of work that feels elevated, emotional, and cohesive for high-end motherhood and family clients.
Inside the course, you watch three full real sessions from start to finish including maternity, newborn, and family. Seeing these sessions unfold in real time was especially helpful for understanding how to balance gentle direction with authentic connection. The included family session prompts offer language you can immediately use to guide natural interaction without forcing moments.
Marie also shares three full culling videos so you can see exactly how she selects images with consistency and intention across maternity, newborn, and family galleries. There is a dedicated newborn swaddling video that walks you through her exact technique, as well as downloadable cheat sheets for maternity, newborn, and family sessions that are easy to reference on your phone during shoots.
Beyond posing and workflow, the course dives into how to find beautiful light in any environment, how to choose locations that align with your brand, and how to curate and submit your work for publication. These lessons are especially valuable for photographers who want to attract higher-end family photography clients while staying true to their artistic voice.
If you are a family photographer looking for education that blends technique, refinement, and intentional storytelling, The Art of Motherhood is a strong investment in both your work and your confidence behind the camera.
How to Choose the Right Photography Course
If you’re investing in photography education right now, my biggest advice is this:
Choose courses that support the kind of work and life you want to build.
Not louder.
Not busier.
Just more honest.
The best photography courses don’t just teach technique. They change how you see, how you connect, and how you show up for your clients in your own unique way.
Want Hands-On Family Photography Education in Real Time?
If learning through watching and doing feels more aligned for you, I host Film + Family Content Days designed specifically for family photographers who want to refine their eye, shoot intentionally, and create portfolio-worthy work.
Each content day includes two to three styled family shoots, guidance on photographing connection, and education around shooting family sessions on film. These days are equal parts creative reset and practical learning, built for photographers who want to slow down and shoot with purpose.
Our next Film + Family Content Days are headed to Santa Rosa Beach, Florida and Bozeman, Montana
If you are craving hands-on education, beautiful locations, and space to create meaningful family imagery, I would love to have you join us. You can join my email list here to be the first to know when sign ups go live!
