What if the secret to better family photography connection has nothing to do with posing at all? In this episode, Suzy Brown of Simply by Suzy joins host Kim Box to talk about her Home Grown method, an approach to family sessions built on presence, play, and letting go of expectations rather than memorized prompts.
Suzy has spent nearly seventeen years photographing families, and she opens up about the years she spent relying on posing guides before realizing that the real work happens in how a photographer helps a family feel safe enough to just be themselves.
Presence Over Prompts
Suzy’s methodology, which she calls Home Grown, grew out of her own frustration with cramming poses and prompts before every shoot. Early in her career, she noticed that this approach only worked when a family was naturally comfortable in front of the camera. When they weren’t, sessions felt stiff, and she walked away feeling like she had failed. Over time, and through her own experience becoming a parent, she started building a different foundation, one rooted in presence, intentionality, and her fascination with human psychology.
That foundation starts before the camera ever comes out. Suzy meets with clients on a call ahead of their session, asking questions less about pose preferences and more about what ease and play actually look like in that family’s life. She has clients fill out a questionnaire with her partner, treating the process itself as part of the connective experience rather than paperwork to get through. By the time she shows up to shoot, she already understands what this particular family needs from their time together.
What Play and Trust Look Like in Real Sessions
Suzy is candid about the fact that play doesn’t look the same for every family, and it doesn’t have to be loud or high energy to work. She described a session with a family whose kids were neurodivergent, where the mother was nervous going in. Instead of pushing a big, playful energy, Suzy leaned into quiet curiosity, letting the kids show her their backyard and their pets at their own pace. As she put it in the episode, playfulness can actually be quiet.
She also talked through moments where a parent’s expectations start to take over a session, like a mother who wanted her daughter’s worn, tattered bunny out of the photos entirely. Suzy made the call to include it anyway, trusting that in twenty years that bunny would be one of the most precious details in the image. Learning to hold that trust with a client, and to gently guide rather than give in when expectations get in the way, is part of what she now teaches other photographers through her Home Grown approach.
Why Community and Continued Education Matter
One of the most honest parts of the conversation is Suzy’s reminder that photographers are in the business of documenting the human experience while often forgetting to experience their own. She talked about the burnout that comes from constantly chasing the high of a successful shoot while neglecting rest, play, and joy in daily life. Her advice was refreshingly simple: go for a walk without headphones, notice a patch of sunshine, do something outside of photography entirely. Those moments, she explained, are often where the best creative ideas show up.
This is exactly the kind of insight that continues to come out of the Motherhood Anthology community. Suzy has shared this methodology with TMA members before, and conversations like this one are a reminder of why surrounding yourself with other photographers and mentors matters. Building a sustainable business means having people around you who understand both the creative and personal sides of this work, and who can help you keep growing in both.
Listen and Learn More
If you’ve been relying on the same poses and prompts session after session and feeling the burnout that comes with it, this episode is worth a listen. Suzy’s approach to presence, play, and honoring who you naturally are as a photographer offers a way to build sessions, and a business, that feel sustainable.
Find Suzy at simplybysuzy.com or on Instagram at @simplybysuzy.
You can also learn more about her Home Grown course for family photographers here.
Ready to build a business that reflects your own creative voice? The Motherhood Anthology membership gives you access to expert mentors, live coaching, monthly marketing suites, and a private community of photographers who are invested in your success. Learn more and join at themotherhoodanthology.com.
The Motherhood Anthology is a community and educational resource for photographers who want a profitable and sustainable business they love. With 15+ expert mentors and 7+ years of proven content, TMA helps portrait photographers build confident, thriving businesses through monthly education, mentorship, and a supportive community of 700+ members.
