09/03/2026
‼️ AN IMPORTANT UPDATE TO HOW I’LL BE SHARING CHILDREN’S PHOTOS ‼️
As a photographer, one of the greatest privileges of this job is being trusted with people’s most important memories — especially their children.
And lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about what that responsibility looks like in a world where AI is advancing faster than most of us ever imagined.
A recent federal court case involving hyper-realistic, AI-generated sexual images depicting children stopped me in my tracks.
The ruling itself is much more complicated than simply saying “AI-generated CSAM is legal,” and I encourage anyone interested to read the actual opinion rather than relying on headlines.
But what stayed with me most wasn’t just the legal decision.
It was the reminder of how quickly technology is changing — and how little control any of us have over an image once it is publicly placed online.
I photograph babies. Toddlers. Children. Teenagers. Families.
And those families trust me.
Once I publicly post an identifiable photo of a child, I cannot control every screenshot, download, share, website, AI program, or person who may eventually have access to it.
I also can’t predict what AI will be capable of five or ten years from now.
But I can control what I choose to put online through my business.
So, effective immediately:
🤍 I will no longer publicly share clearly identifiable photographs of children on my photography business pages.
I may still share images from family sessions, but they will be photographed or edited in ways that protect the child’s identity — such as images from behind, detail shots, wider perspectives, cropped images, or photos where their face is otherwise not clearly identifiable.
Clients will still receive their complete galleries exactly as they always have.
This only changes what I personally choose to make publicly accessible online.
I’m not telling parents what they should post.
I’m not telling other photographers how to run their businesses.
This is simply a boundary I feel called to put in place for mine.
Will it make marketing family photography harder? Maybe.
Could it affect engagement or bookings? Possibly.
But if I ever have to choose between social media performance and the privacy of a child who has been trusted to me, the child will win every single time.
I would rather be overly cautious now than look back years from today and wish I had been.
Our laws, technology, and understanding of digital privacy are going to continue evolving.
My responsibility to the families who trust me should evolve, too.
Their safety and privacy will always mean more to me than likes, shares, reach, or bookings.
Especially when it comes to children. 🤍
I’ll leave the court opinion that prompted this decision in the comments for anyone who would like to read it and form their own opinion.
