There is something magical about family photographs. We pore over them, studying what our parents looked like when they were young, how dashing our grandfather looked in his military uniform, how our sibling held us tightly when we were tiny. We look to these photographs to tell the story of our lives, who the people were at that moment in time, helping to inform who we are now. There are few things as treasured as a parent’s photos of their baby, and Olivia Grey Pritchard excels in capturing the ephemeral moments of childhood. Olivia’s photographs are cherished by clients for their authenticity and visual insight, using her gift to somehow catch the unique magic of a child in its youth and the joy inside a family. We spoke with Olivia about her roots in photography, her vision for family photographs, and her tips for feeling comfortable in front of the camera. Here is what she said:

How did you get started in photography?

I grew up in Hattiesburg, MS, and began taking photos when I was eight or nine. I used chemical black and white film, developing my own film and printing my own photos in the darkroom my dad added onto our house. My undergraduate degree is in broadcast journalism and my masters’ is in mass communication, focusing on journalistic documentary photography. 

What led you to New Orleans?

I moved to New Orleans so I could work on a research project to free a man who had been wrongfully imprisoned. While I was working on the research, I began taking on a few maternity and children’s photography clients without a formal studio. Less than a year in, I knew I loved New Orleans and decided to stay. I got a studio space and started building a client base. (Meanwhile, the man was freed from prison and Olivia remains involved in Innocence Project New Orleans.)

Your photography centers around newborns, babies, families, and pets. What is meaningful to you about this type of photography?

For me, it is all about creating a visual legacy to pass down to your family. As a kid, I would look through our picture albums for hours. It’s important to remember that these photos aren’t just for you; they’re for your kids and grandkids and great grandkids. These are archival products that will outlast us. Particularly for parents of newborn babies, I tell them, “We take photos of the baby for you. We take photos of you with the baby for the baby when it’s grown.” Those are the photos that are special to me — not just the photos of me by myself as a six-month-old — I like the ones when my mom is holding me. Those are the important ones once you are grown. Occasionally parents will ask for photos of just the children, saying that they don’t want to be in the photos, but you are the most important person in your child’s life. You need to be part of that visual legacy.

Do you have advice for someone who might feel uncomfortable being photographed?

Before each photo session, we have a pre-session consultation in which we talk about several things to ensure the session goes well, and that includes what to wear and any insecurities the client has. I can accommodate a client’s concerns to ensure they look good; it’s a simple matter of using the best angles, camera lenses, and poses (without looking posed). Clients will sometimes put off doing a photo session because they’d like to lose 10 pounds first, but when you wait, you miss that special moment of your kids at that age. Five years down the road, your kids will look nothing like they do now, and they won’t play with you the way they do now. Trust that I will help you look your best.

What is your goal in your photography?

I always want my pictures to be genuine — to convey genuine emotion, genuine connection, genuine experiences. I want you to be able to look back through these albums 30 years from now and remember exactly the way that your baby walked with her butt stuck out, or the way your baby’s hair curled in the back before it got long. All the little details that are very, very fleeting are what we want to remember.

One of the unique aspects of your studio is that you provide clients with finished products — albums, large-format framed photographs, a gallery wall — after the shoot. What does that process look like?

In the pre-session consultation, we will look at the different wall art finishes so that clients know what’s available and they can go home and envision, “Where do I want something, and what finish is going to look best?” That’s something I can also help with, so if the clients bring me a picture on their phone of the space with measurements, then I can show several options that would be the best choices for that space. That way they can be thinking, “What do I want for my family, and how do I want to take these photographs home?” I want to get you to your end-goal which is something on the wall that you can enjoy every day and a story in a book that you can look through whenever you want and pass down to your children.

You’ve been busy this summer with the launch of your new website. Is there anything else exciting that you have been working on?

Yes, I am releasing a new book called Mutts: A Celebration of Mystery Mixed Breeds! It is a fine art coffee table book filled with portraits of over 100 local New Orleans mutts that I photographed this past year. I started this project in order to foster more love for mutts, since I have always been a mutt lover. Also, part of the proceeds of the Mutts sales will go to organizations who rescue and spay/neuter. Our link to donate will be live from August 2nd-31st, 2021. We are really hoping that this new book fosters more love for mutts and brings more support to our local animal organizations.

Whether you’re a longtime local or planning a visit to New Orleans (or thinking of your 2021 Christmas card), enlist Olivia Grey Pritchard for a photo session to capture this moment in your life and contribute to the visual legacy of your family. And don’t forget to tell her Scout sent you.