A Heartwarming Alpaca Farm Family Session Holland, MI | Northern Michigan Photographer
Some sessions are carefully choreographed.
Others unfold exactly as they should.
This one was the latter.
We met in the middle of the day at a charming alpaca farm, tucked beside a hand-built barn-style home where I was staying. The light was bright and bold—one of those midday skies that photographers are often told to avoid. But when kids are involved, and curiosity is high, you lean into the moment rather than fight it.
And this family did just that.
Seven people, five kids, and an entire farm waiting to be explored.
The moment we stepped near the alpaca pens, the kids were off. There were curious glances, giggles, and careful hands reaching out to pet soft noses through the fence. Feed was scattered, alpacas wandered close, and the kids moved in that beautifully chaotic rhythm only siblings seem to understand.
What I loved most was that no one was watching the camera.
They were watching each other.
The littles darted toward the water troughs and peeked into the chicken coop. One of the youngest boys became fascinated with a dirt pile nearby and decided it needed to be climbed immediately. Before long, Dad and the oldest brother wandered over to join him, turning the pile into a miniature mountain worth conquering.
It was playful and spontaneous and exactly the kind of moment families remember long after the photos are taken.
After some time with the alpacas, we made our way toward the shade of the house. The shift in pace was gentle and natural, like the deep breath after an afternoon of running around.
Here, we settled into a few quiet moments together.
Nothing overly posed—just small guidance and room for the family to be themselves.
Mom sank into the grass for a moment of rest, the younger kids climbing in for snuggles while the older ones burst into motion again. Cartwheels appeared out of nowhere. There were races across the yard, spinning circles, and that kind of joyful energy that only happens when kids feel completely free to be themselves.
Through it all, the family stayed focused on each other.
They talked, laughed, helped the littles, and moved through the afternoon together without worrying about where the camera was or whether they were “doing it right.”
Those are the sessions that feel the most honest.
The ones where children play, parents breathe for a moment, and the whole family simply exists together.
And somewhere in the middle of all that life, the photographs quietly happen.
Searra Liggett is a family and wedding photographer based in Houghton, Michigan, serving the Keweenaw Peninsula and beyond. A mother of three and lifelong storyteller, she is drawn to the quiet beauty of real moments—windswept adventures, laughter between siblings, and the small pieces of life that often go unnoticed. Through her photography and writing, she hopes to preserve the feeling of a moment, not just how it looked.