Playful Photos
Cuddly People
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Welcome to Mountain Laurel Photo, where real life and beautiful images meet.
You'll get to spend your photo session playing, cuddling, and laughing with your favorite people. Together, we'll create photos that look the way your love feels: warm, cozy, playful, and connected.
Portland Family, Maternity, and Newborn Photographer specializing in natural, playful, child-led photo sessions for growing families.
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“Stop scrolling and book Laurel NOW! Laurel is warm, intuitive, professional, and has an amazing eye. She made us feel comfortable and well taken care of, and went above and beyond to provide us with the highest-quality photos we've ever seen. She is simply the best.” - ST
“Laurel is not only a gifted photographer, but a wonderful person, too. She has a natural ability to put everyone at ease - adults and kids alike.” - CI
"We had the best experience with Mountain Laurel Photo. The newborn trenches are rough and it’s so easy to miss the beauty of it- we’re so thankful that Laurel captured the beauty of our newborn baby and our family so we can treasure it forever. She made the process comfortable and easy for us." - AS
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from families
"Laurel is the absolute best! She is so amazing with kids, and is able to get photos of them by being playful and making them feel comfortable. ... The shots she gets are gorgeous and so beautifully done." - LM
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I'm mother to 2.5 year old and 1 year old boys, I run a home daycare (and have been a nanny for over a decade), and I've been photographing families and babies professionally in the Portland area since 2021. Wrangling kiddos is kinda my whole thing.
As your family photographer, I bring a calm, curious, and light-hearted energy that tends to put people at ease. Connecting with little ones comes naturally, and wild-child chaos doesn't scare me one bit.
The experience of having your photos taken in Portland should be fun and simple. Photo sessions with me are easygoing, child-led adventures designed to capture real moments of connection and emotion. You’ll get lots of guidance both before and during the session so that you can just relax and enjoy the reason for it all: your beautiful family!
about laurel
summer special: portland area backyard family photo sessions
This summer, take your family out to the yard, pour yourself an iced coffee, and sit back to relax. I'll take family photos while the kids romp around, you play in the garden, or just cuddle up on a picnic blanket with your pups.
I am so excited to offer these backyard sessions this summer! No travel and keeping kiddos on their home turf allows the photo session to be an easy, relaxed experience for everyone.
When you and your kids look back at your family photos, you'll be glad to have some that include your home, the space that is probably the most true representation of your family.
$400
(this is about half the price of a regular family session!)
25 minute session
You'll get the full gallery - no need to choose your favorites!
I'll send over a guide to help with choosing outfits for the whole family and preparing your home space for photos (it's not as intimidating as it might sound!).
ONLY 3 OF THESE SESSIONS ARE AVAILABLE IN 2026
Book a Family Session for anytime between May and August and use the coupon code:
BACKYARD26
"I cannot recommend Laurel highly enough. This was such a special experience and the photos are breathtaking. We are a big family with a range of temperaments (and ages!) and bringing us all together into a cohesive picture is no small task. Laurel helped us feel at ease and the pictures are stunning. Even the scenes where we had some direction look totally natural.
She captured our personalities remarkably!" - K.H.
Portland Family Photo Sessions are all about capturing your family in a genuine, fun, and playful way, whether that’s cozied up at home baking or romping around the PNW looking for adventure. We’ll keep things light-hearted and give kiddos plenty of room to be themselves - wild child energy is always welcome!
When you book your Family session with me, I'll walk you through your location options, from Beaverton to Hood River and everywhere in between. You'll get a session guide that will help you with choosing outfits and generally preparing your whole family for the session.
family SESSIONS
Maternity Sessions with me are simple, laid-back, and fun! They can be done in your home or out in the abundant nature around Portland. Whether you're feeling long flowy dress in a field, or jeans and a crop top in the city, or a swimsuit on the beach - I've got you covered - we can even do all 3. We’ll get lots of gorgeous images of you on your own, as well as plenty of you snuggling up with your partner, pets, and/or other kiddos.
I love to do maternity sessions in the Columbia River Gorge, and also have a handful of locations that are lovely all around the Portland area, from Gresham to Lake Oswego.
Maternity SESSIONS
Newborn days are sleepy, snuggly, and absolutely exhausting. As your Portland Newborn Photographer, I make sure your newborn photo session is relaxed and easy for both the new baby and the tired new parents.
I’ll come to your Portland-area home with calm energy and guide you through everything, so you can focus on cuddling your baby and enjoying these sweet cuddly moments. We’ll capture the overwhelming love, all of baby's tiny details, the big sibling chaos, and those real, tender moments that make the newborn stage so special.
newborn SESSIONS
A bump-to-baby photo session bundle designed to celebrate your beautiful pregnancy and the birth of your precious new baby. With two full sessions, one easy booking process, and my guidance through the whole process, my goal is to help you feel cared for so that (in at least this one thing) you can just relax and enjoy the ride.
newborn & Maternity Package
The first year of your baby’s life goes by in such a blur, and before you know it, you’ve got a toddler on your hands. My First Year Package is designed to document your baby at every stage, from newborn photos to 6-month milestones and their first birthday, so you can relax knowing you’ll have beautiful photos to look back on.
With flexible scheduling, plenty of location options around Portland, and guidance every step of the way, this package is an easy choice for growing Portland families who want to capture their baby’s first year without having to plan each session on their own.
first year package
In the spirit of making this entire experience as easy as possible, all Sessions and Packages are available to book online!
If you have additional questions before booking, send me an email at laurel@mountainlaurelphoto.com or head over to the contact page.
