What does your love language look like in your family photos? A family documentary photographer’s perspective

Hands and arms criss cross in play as a father with a brown beard laughs and plants stickers on his daughter and son.

Family life moves quickly and it’s easy for the day-to-day moments that carry the most meaning to slip by unnoticed. It’s why I like to focus on capturing the love language of your family in photos because it’s important to reflect the unique ways you connect and express love — visually preserving your relationships with the people that matters the most.

Photographing expressions of love in your family

Whether it's through physical touch or capturing your quality time together, I work hard to show the closeness and intimacy between family members.

From a documentary photography perspective, I believe there’s a kind of messy joy in the spontaneous, unscripted moments that can't be posed. The way you naturally gravitate towards each other in those moments says more about how you love than any perfectly set-up shots.

Leaning into making pictures that are candid and a little off-beat—the ones where no one is looking directly at the camera because you’re too busy being in the moment or sharing an experience. I’ll photograph the genuine smiles, tender glances or shared laughter in your exchanges and natural interactions. I’ll get the close-up shots as you are holding hands or giving each other warm hugs to show the different ways you offer comfort and support. Capturing those quiet details and small gestures that often go unnoticed to give you a visual memory so you could feel your expressions of love in your family photos.

Mother and daughter playing with a tan coloured spaniel dog in the family kitchen.
Close-up shot of the mother's arms wrapped around her baby's shoulder and legs on the bed.
An Asian family all dressed in blue are sat together reading a storybook with a giant teddy bear.
Close-up shot of an adult's hand giving a helping push to a child as she rides a bike, while wearing a pink cardigan and striped helmet.
Black and white photo of a boy whispering into his father's ears during a family board game.
A family of free baking together in the kitchen.
A young child with strawberry blond hair and wearing Peppa Pig wellies steps into the garden while holding the hand of his mother.
Black and white photograph of a small child with blond wavy hair looking into the distance.
A group of friends and children play around together in the garden.
A mother kisses her blond-haired child on the lips while both are sat on a grey sofa with a coloured knitted quilt.
Black and white photo of a father playfully throwing his young son in a striped top across a bed.
Detailed shot of a family love poster and pictures of the family on a white wall.
A large group of nine family members sit around a table in conversation and in the kitchen.
 

Booking a documentary family photographer in Cambridge, London or beyond

Diana Hagues is a documentary family photographer, who make photographs that tells a story of intimacy and connection and feeling of love. If you are interested in having her photograph your family and would like a day-in-the-life session to capture your precious moments and time spent together in your everyday, then get in touch to book a session.

Diana HaguesComment