Marlow's House

More than just family photos

It's an experience that allows you to bond with your family at home; a slow afternoon of deep connection and beautiful art.

Cozy at Home

Amber exclusively photographs families at home: with their pets, on their couch, in their yard or property, and in the clothes they wear every day. No props needed, no new clothing required.

The Every Day is Everything

As an artist and mother, Amber understands that the "every day" moments with children today will be their fondest memories in the decades to come. Something you do often - nursing the baby, whipping up your signature blueberry pancakes for dinner, sitting on the porch swing together, or jumping into the pool - is worth photographing, beautifully.

01. Signature Session

For a birthday, a pregnancy, or just to bond with your family and photograph some memories.This collection includes your photo shoot, plus pre- and post-session consultations and a few treats.


$1450

02. A Pair of Signature Sessions

For families committing to two Signature Sessions within 365 days of each other. This collection was designed with pregnancy + newborn or newborn + first birthdays in mind, though you are certainly not limited to those.These sessions include everything listed in the Signature Session, times two.


$2850

Timing

Our session will take long as it needs. I aim for about 90 minutes, but we can take longer or wrap up faster. The end result - a full story told in photos - will be the same. Diaper changes, a pause for snacks or nursing, tiny tantrums, and pulling on little socks all take time. I’m happy to remain flexible and go with the flow, in fact, it’s actually all part of the process.

Clothing

Wear your clothes.Obviously, right? But I mean YOUR clothes, the ones you wear every day, not the ones you rushed to order before our shoot hoping that something will fit or look right. You're wonderful just as you are.Writing and neon generally don't photograph well, but outside of those gentle suggestions, wear what you will.Children should be dressed in play clothes that they love. This can be an area of concern for some, especially for someone who has had a baby, so bring this up on our consultation call.The “every day” is a huge part of my process.

Nudity

You could also NOT wear your clothes. If you want a maternity session naked or nearly naked, let's do it! If everyone likes to jump in the pool on warm summer nights in their birthday suits, and you want this special memory documented, GO FOR IT.This is a good place to put that I am a “safe adult” for children. If they wind up in the tub or peeing on the lawn, I am very careful in my actions and words to make sure everyone is feeling safe, even as I’m snapping away.

Privacy & NDAs

I’m happy to sign an NDA for notable people or folks with security concerns as needed. I do offer a generous print credit to families as a “thank you” for being featured in my portfolio, but if your privacy is of concern, I understand and respect that. I offer full or partial NDAs.For photos where babies and children are more exposed (a traditional bare baby butt photo, for example) I use an extremely high level of protectiveness and discernment. Every naked adult in my portfolio has given explicit permission for individual photos.

Location

I nearly-exclusively photograph families at home, inside.We can go outside for part of your session - the yard, the sidewalk, the garden, or your property - but the majority our photos will be indoors. The exception to this is if you have a space in mind that you are completely in control of, that isn’t open to the general public, and that is meaningful to you as a family. Examples are your studio space, your stable with your horses, or your boat.

LGBTQIA

Queer kids, queer adults… I love ya. All pronouns and gender expressions are seen, accepted, and enthusiastically photographed. Come as you are.

Boundaries

1. Kindness rules.You have to be nice to me. You have to be nice to the kids, and you have to be nice to your dog. You can’t call names, berate your kids, or jokingly yell at your spouse “suck it in honey, you look like a whale!” I would appreciate it greatly if you were also nice to yourself.2. Weapons aren’t allowed.I know different families have different ideals, but my studio doesn’t allow whips, guns, throwing stars, etc. If you want to have a thoughtful conversation about this, I’m open.3. Immediately family only. Usually.Sessions are open to members of the household only. You can’t split a single session with your sister’s family, or buy a two-session bundle and have me photograph two families.That said, if grandma is visiting from overseas, or lives with you, she can be in the photos, of course! Please let me know - additional people are at my discretion, and may incur an additional charge. If I arrive on set and the situation is different than we discussed, I may charge additionally, within reason, or even decline the session or part of the session. Open and honest conversations are always welcome.A few sweet photos with an au pair or beloved nanny are considered part of what I do if they’re part of your family’s day-to-day life.4. Clothing changes.This isn’t a fashion shoot, so I don’t allow multiple “looks”, as it destroys the integrity of the shoot. If a child under 12 wants some photos in a tutu, astronaut costume, or princess dress we can accommodate them at the beginning or end of our shoot. If the baby poops their outfit, sure, we’ll change them, and if you want to end the session with a bath or running in the sprinkler, they can strip down or switch to bathing suits. If you want some pregnancy photos nude and some dressed, let’s do it. But outside of that, we don’t do multiple looks, and everything is discussed beforehand (knowing, of course, that kids are unpredictable!)5. Cheerful compliance.Every adult and teen in the photos is expected to adhere to a standard of “cheerful compliance”. If someone is visibly rolling their eyes at the family photos, complaining, or checking their phones because they can’t pull themselves away from work for 90 minutes, I reserve the right to change the focus of the shoot to the more cheerful members of the family.If the under-12 set is having a tough time, we’ll work as hard as we possibly can to make it work, up to and including scheduling the shoot for a different day.The truth is that I will turn myself inside out if I have to for your family session and give my all, and expect the same enthusiasm from everyone in the photos who should know better.Phones off, y’all.