LIFESTYLE
Family
Senior & Student
Fun / Awkward '80s
Maternity
Boudoir/Empowerment
All steps of life, and the in-between parts too.
Sometimes there’s a graduation, a growing family, an anniversary, or a version of yourself you’d like to remember.
Sometimes you just want good photographs with your favorite people.
And sometimes you need matching turtlenecks, unfortunate glasses, and a floating head behind your entire family.
I’m here for all of it.
Lifestyle sessions bring together the personal side of what we photograph. Families, students, maternity, couples, empowerment, and the occasional gloriously ridiculous idea. We’ll build around the people involved, give you direction when you need it, and leave room for your personality to actually show up.
We can work in our professional photo studio, Cobalt Studios, outdoors, at your residence, or find a location that means something to you.
Lifestyle sessions
Starting at $300
From a small set of portraits to sessions with more people, outfit changes, and creative variety. We’ll help you choose an option that fits.
Complimentary studio access is included when Cobalt is the right setting for your session.
Explore some of the featured images, sets, and options below, or hit the portfolio tab to hone in on gallery examples. Click a featured image to peep its corresponding set!
Highlighted Testimonials
My family got some 80s-style photos taken by Michael. He made us feel at ease and got our 1-year-old to smile! We got our photos back quickly and loved them. I’d get our photos taken again by him next year 😀
Brea B · Awkward family portraits
He made the whole process really easy and comfortable. He was willing to hike to a non-traditional location and spend the time to get some amazing shots. We couldn't be more pleased with the results.
Kate Begonia · Senior portraits
People, milestones & other good excuses
Families & your people
The whole crew. A few generations. You and the kids. The people who became your family somewhere along the way.
We can make the everyone-looking-at-the-camera photograph. I also want the little interactions, expressions, and bits of chaos that make it yours.
Tell me who’s coming, what you’re hoping for, and whether somebody already objects to having their photograph taken. We’ll work with that.
Seniors & students
You’ve got interests, opinions, a style of your own, and probably a few ideas about what you absolutely do not want your senior photographs to look like.
Good. Start there.
Bring the instrument, the outfit, the hobby, or the friend who makes you laugh. We can get the classic portraits your family wants and leave room for photographs you’re excited about too.
Graduation is a great excuse, but students of any age are welcome.
Awkward decades, camp & questionable taste
Seventies flair. Eighties floating heads. Nineties nostalgia. Excessive denim. An aggressively serious portrait of people doing something deeply unserious.
These sessions are an excuse to commit to the bit.
Bring your family, partner, friends, or just yourself. We can build around an era, a terrible outfit, an old photograph, or an idea that gets funnier the longer you explain it.
Private sessions can be planned around your group. Scheduled mini sessions and special sets appear on our Events page when available.
Boudoir & empowerment
You don’t have to become a different person to deserve photographs you feel good in.
These sessions can be soft, bold, playful, dark, intimate, or something you haven’t quite found the words for.
Any gender. Your style. Your comfort level.
We’ll talk beforehand about what you want, what you don’t, wardrobe, direction, and the setting. You can bring someone you trust, and there’s no expectation to reveal more than you want to.
Confidence can be something you bring with you or something we give a little room to grow.
Maternity & early parenthood
There’s a lot happening in this part of life. You’re allowed to want photographs of it without turning the session into another exhausting thing to organize.
We can keep it quiet and comfortable, bring your partner or family into the frame, or make something more dramatic and personal.
Studio, home, or a location that works for your energy and mobility. Tell me how you’re feeling and what you’d like to remember.
Couples, engagements & weddings
A new relationship. Years of shared nonsense. A proposal, an anniversary, or the day you gather everybody together and make it official.
Michael of Nilas Photography is also Wedding Photographer Guy, where you’ll find our dedicated couples, engagement, elopement, and wedding work.
Same photographer. Same laid-back approach. Plenty of room for your personalities.
A Few Things Worth Mentioning
Your family doesn’t have to look like a stock photograph.
Wear something you like. Bring your actual personalities. If matching outfits are your thing, excellent. If your family looks like six people heading to completely different concerts, we can work with that too.
The person who hates photographs is welcome.
Let me know ahead of time. We can keep things conversational, give them something to do, and take the pressure down a little.
The studio gives us options.
Cobalt gives us privacy, controlled lighting, backgrounds, and room to make something intentional. It’s included with your portrait session when we use it.
The ridiculous photograph still deserves good lighting.
I take making the photograph seriously. The subject matter is allowed to be completely absurd.
Print the good ones.
The family portrait. The photograph where you finally like how you look. The floating head that makes visitors question your decorating choices.
Give them somewhere to exist besides your phone.
Lifestyle-Specific FAQ
I’m not sure which category my idea fits. Does it matter?
Not especially. These are starting points.
Tell me who we’re photographing and what you’d like to make. A maternity session can be alternative, a family session can be ridiculous, and a senior session can include both traditional portraits and something more creative.
Will you help us pose?
Yes. You don’t need to arrive knowing what to do.
I’ll help with positioning, movement, expressions, and the little adjustments that make a photograph work. We can mix more intentional portraits with interaction and candid moments.
Can we bring children, friends, partners, or pets?
Absolutely. Let me know who’s coming so we can choose a suitable location and allow enough time.
For pets, we’ll also plan around the location’s rules and what will help them settle in.
Can we mix a normal portrait with an awkward or creative set?
Yes, provided we choose a session with enough time for the changes involved.
Tell me which photographs matter most and what else you’re imagining. We’ll plan the wardrobe, backgrounds, and setups around that.
Do you offer private awkward portraits, or only scheduled events?
Both.
Scheduled events use a specific set and shorter time slots. A private session gives us more room to build around your group, explore variations, and work toward something custom.
Check Events for announced dates, or contact us to plan a private session.
What should I bring for senior or student photographs?
Outfit options and anything connected to your interests are a good place to start. You’re welcome to bring a parent or friend too.
If you need a yearbook photograph, send the school’s requirements and submission deadline beforehand so we can plan for it.
How do we plan a boudoir or empowerment session?
We start with a conversation about the look you want, your comfort level, wardrobe, and boundaries.
You can bring references or simply explain how you’d like the photographs to feel. We’ll discuss who will be present and how the session will work before you arrive. You can change your mind about a pose or idea during the session.
Where can we shoot?
Our studio in Southeast Portland, your home, outdoors, or another suitable location.
We’ll choose around the photographs you want and the practical needs of the people involved. Travel, access, permissions, and weather can be discussed during planning.
How many photographs will we receive?
That depends on the session you choose. Our pricing page explains the included images and the differences between options.
Tell me if you need several group combinations, outfit changes, or a larger collection so we can choose enough time and variety.