How to support LGBTQ+ youth through affirming family portrait experiences
Look, LGBTQ+ young people deal with enough bullshit. The least we can do is make sure family photos aren't another space where they feel erased or misunderstood. Here's how to make outdoor family portrait sessions in Seattle actually affirming for queer youth.
Use their fucking pronouns and chosen names
This should be obvious, but: ask every person in the family what name and pronouns they use. Don't assume. Don't deadname trans or non-binary youth. Don't misgender them. I'll ask everyone at the start of the session, and I'll use the correct names and pronouns throughout. If family members mess up, I'll gently correct and keep moving. If I mess up, I’ll correct myself and keep it moving forward. Your queer kid shouldn't have to spend their photo session being misgendered by adults who should know better.
Let them wear what makes them comfortable
If your trans kid wants to wear a binder, let them. If your gender-nonconforming nibling wants to wear makeup or a dress or both or neither, support that. Don't force them into clothes that make them dysphoric or uncomfortable just because it "looks better for photos." You know what looks best in photos? People who feel good about themselves. I'll help you coordinate outfits that work visually while respecting everyone's comfort and gender expression.
Include their chosen family
Sometimes LGBTQ+ young people have people in their lives who matter more than biological family - partners, best friends, mentors. If your kid wants their girlfriend or their found family in the photos, include them. These relationships are real and valid and deserve to be documented. We'll plan groupings that show all the important relationships in their life.
Make the session a celebration, not a tolerance exercise
Affirming family portrait sessions should celebrate your queerness, not just tolerate them. During the session, we'll highlight their authentic self: their personality, their style, their relationships. The goal is artwork where they see themselves reflected with love and pride, not photos where they're trying to be someone they're not.
After the session, we'll create customized artwork for your home: daily visual reminders that your queer young person is loved exactly as they are. Because that's what support actually looks like: seeing your kid on your walls, celebrated and affirmed, every single day.
