young girl swinging and dancing while holding hands with her dad.

Family Photos

Dancing Queen – In-home Family Photo Session, Oakland

November 2, 2022

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You know it was a good time when you questioned if you spent more time mostly upright or upside down with a family. My abs tell me it’s the latter.

Either way, I had a blast meeting this family as we danced our way from room to room. Not only did we share a love for music, but we also captured this season in their new home in the East Bay. I also wanted to show Kimberly, who is often behind the camera as a fantastic photographer, how radiant she is with her family.

I’m always grateful to be invited into the home and hearts of my client-families. And sometimes we have so much fun that it makes goodbyes a little bit harder, as is the case with S waving goodbye to me at the window.

About Me

Real people are my favorite.

It's why I appointed myself the family documentarian early on, carefully recording life unfolding, and learning along the way how much I love visual storytelling. I picked up my first professional camera when my child was born, knowing those early years were dawning and full of change — and I never looked back. I can't imagine doing anything else.

I'm a maximalist in every sense: all-in on a project or power napping, rarely anything in between. A little weird and impressively clumsy, with absolutely zero shame dancing in public. I live in Alameda (aka the Midwest of the Bay Area) with my husband, my teen, and a menagerie of animals. Fair warning: I bring my outdated 90s dance moves to every session.

My upbringing taught me to find beauty where others see ordinary. Motherhood only deepened that instinct, and I've been known to cry at the drop of a hat. Kleenex is a standing item on my packing list for newborn sessions.

I'm awkward at small talk and large groups are where I go quiet — which is exactly why you'll never find me working weddings or large events, and why you will find me completely at home in yours. I work best in the intimate, the real, and the messy.

I invest deeply in the people I work with and pour my whole heart into every session. Walking away with friendships after a session is always a major bonus — and it's the reason I love my job as much as I do.

WORK WITH ME

©Carmen dunham Photography 2026

branding by Bella Maven 

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