The 11 Best Family Photographers in Charleston

Family photoshoots are never easy to organize! For one, there are so many different photographers to choose from. And then there is finding a location and getting everyone dressed appropriately. What if there were talented artists who have all that figured out and can feature you and your loved ones in the very best ways? Try looking at the portfolios of these top Charleston family photographers and see if their ideas resonate with yours!

1. Melissa Hunt

If you’re looking for a lifestyle angle on your family or maternity photography session, Melissa Hunt is one of the finest Charleston family photographers to partner with! Her approach combines the spontaneity and authenticity of natural, unposed moments with 20 years of experience as a portrait photographer.

The result? Expertly crafted, heirloom-worthy images. Earth-toned and contrast-rich, Melissa’s photographs inspire a distinct sense of nostalgia for how small your kids were and your maternity glow, long after these precious moments have departed!

2. Caitlyn Motycka

Motherhood is what inspired Caitlyn Motycka to give up a fast-paced corporate career and help other families preserve fleeting memories forever.

We also love Charleston family photographers with a distinct style, as Caitlyn has. The soft colors, pale apparel choices, and light-filled shooting environments all create a minimalist, modern approach. This allows skin tones, expressions, eyes, and other major points of interest to shine even more powerfully!

3. Amanda Bouknight

Amanda Bouknight is both a photographer and graphic designer whose love for travel, connections, and beauty all show in her art! Some of her past partners include TTR Sotheby’s International and Charleston Magazine, not to mention dozens of glowing Charleston families and couples!

Amanda’s images are distinctly Charleston in character, thanks to her love for natural light outdoor sessions. Here, the beach, boardwalks, and parks of the city add a lifestyle narrative to each frame.

4. Sarah Demay

Vibrant, warm, contrast-rich, and shadow embracing are how we’d characterize the photography of Sarah Demay! Her color grading is second to none. In fact, she uses an approach that’s distinctly hers while including the connections and love of her subjects as a canvas for her fine art vision.

Brilliant Golden Hour tones are also on display, traditionally nostalgic and ideal for adding soft fill light for family photoshoots. Sarah’s family photography also goes beyond classic captures, including newborns, children’s portraiture, and even maternity boudoir.

5. Kelly Conley

Kelly Conley’s own marriage and family inspire her love for documenting the unrepeatable moments shared by other families. She describes herself as “a candid photographer and loves to capture the real moments between families, the love, the excitement, the laughter, the magic of childhood and all the things in between.”

In fact, we see this eye for real moments in how her couples engage with each other. Kelly artistically captures the unique way couples hold each other, the silly smiles of your kids, and other authentic expressions of your family, free of artifice.

6. Angela Kinard

Weddings and lifestyle family photography are what Angela Kinard has to share with us today. Her style has a distinctly adventurous quality, in a barefoot in the dirt while wearing a dress kind of way. Angela features her families and couples engaging with the world and each other in a masterful fashion.

We also love how she brings in props that entirely shift the vibe, often in a playful or whimsical manner. And the cornfields, meadows, parks, and beaches she prefers working in all add their own distinctive mood to the collaboration!

7. Siobhan Lorraine

If you feel anxiety about posing in front of a camera, we think Siobhan Lorraine’s approach is one you’ll truly appreciate! She wants to show you just how beautiful you are in the unposed, in-between moments. And she does so by cultivating a welcoming atmosphere unique amongst most Charleston family photographers.

This stress-free approach is immediately apparent in the expressions and postures of her subjects. In true lifestyle fashion, this gives viewers the sense of peeking into the lives of Siobhan’s subjects.

8. Alexandra Rostad

Alexandra Rostad is a traveler and lover of life’s beauty who has had a camera in hand for much of her life! After a sojourn to art school in California where she studied film and video, Alexandra realized that photography was her art of choice and started her own family, elopement, and pet photography brand in Charleston!

Since life’s moments of natural beauty are her focus, Alexandra often features children, maternities, and newlyweds, helping families document life milestones as they arise!

9. Lauren McDuffie

Sharing the lives of her subjects through visual storytelling is what inspires Lauren McDuffie to pick up her camera. She seeks to portray life, emotion, and people beyond the carefully cultivated poses and pretty scenery. The intangible emotional and spiritual qualities of life are her true subject.

Lauren’s approach is very diverse as a result, offering a fine art twist on what’s usually a rather conservative, stiffly representational genre. She’s unafraid to use color grading, exposures, and compositions to enhance the moment.

10. Valarie Joy Winkleman of Served in a Wink Photography

Photography runs in the family of Valarie Joy Winkleman! Her grandfather was a photojournalist in Chicago and her older brother followed in his path. Valarie learned from both while pursuing her own path as a Charleston family photographer.

The emotions and warmth shared with her as she captures families in all their love for life is what inspires her to keep on crafting heirloom portraits. Valarie is also a photographer for Baby Bella, extending her love for families even to the first arrival of new members!

11. Kimberley Pennington

Classic outdoor and indoor portraiture are the specialties of Kimberly Pennington! Shallow depth of field, soft lighting, and gentle guidance help her create portraits that capture the innocence of youth and the warmth shared between families on the holidays.

She is especially talented at giving direction to children, teasing smiles out that can sometimes be difficult to capture. And the diversity of shooting environments she favors adds a distinctive lifestyle element to each collaboration.

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