Preparing for a Family Session

Preparing for Family Photos

We all love the sweet and tender, sometimes sassy, always endearing photos we see on the social media feeds of professional photographers…and we see those perfectly angelic-looking little dears and dream of those images with our babies faces and then, with hopes full and expectations high, we decide to book OUR family session. As a professional memory-catcher (aka family and children’s photographer), I can assure you that behind every angelic smile, is likely 15 or 20 pics that didn’t make the gallery because Precious was making a crazy expression, pulling their siblings hair, running off the set, or mournfully awaiting the Skittles that are supposed to make this all worth while!

If we are being real, family and children’s photography takes plentiful planning, sincere effort, and pocketfuls of patience.

But OH, how rewarding when we receive the final gallery of our session! Those sweet smiles and flashes of personality behind their eyes will help fix your memory for years to come the preciousness of this season of your lives.

Today we want to talk about how to best prepare your family for a photoshoot, and give you some ideas about the preparations that are most helpful and those that sometimes become counter-productive. And don’t give up before we start, because although beautiful sessions take some preparation, it’s not too painful, and in the end, we believe you will agree they are quite worth it!

Tip #1: Take time to plan outfits and accessories for the family well in advance.

Outfit selection will play a big role in the overall feel of your final images as much as the location you choose, so don’t leave this important piece until the last few days before your session. Choosing in haste will often leave you with less options, and you may not have the time needed to find clothing that makes you feel your absolute best. Clothing that is a bit snug or uncomfortable in some way will make you feel less relaxed and able to enjoy our time together, and can sometimes color your overall feelings about the final portraits.

Keep in mind that coordinating outfits are often better than exact matches. Choosing a color palette that blends well together, and is more neutral and muted, will elevate the look of your photos and will keep the focus on the people in the picture, rather than their clothing. Having a couple children that match exactly, if in a group of 5 or 6, can be fine, but 4 in a group all the same can bring the attention to the clothing, rather than the people.

Don’t forget to accessorize! Scarves, hats, necklaces, etc. can all add the final touch to bring an outfit together. And if you have a coordinating blanket for seated shots, bring that along too! Sometimes heart-shaped sunglasses and a floppy hat can add the perfect flair when shooting an individual shot of a little girl. You get the idea…it’s okay to think outside the box!

Tip #2: Do your best to ensure children are well rested and have full tummies.

Most outdoor family sessions will be planned during Golden Hour, which is the last hour before the sun sets. In the middle of summer, this sessions will often start AFTER a small child’s normal bedtime. Take that into consideration and try to plan a later nap that day to help your little one to remain happy and compliant during our session. Littles don’t always comply to our efforts, and we somehow always make it work, but preparing ahead can often prevent melt-downs later, simply because a child is over-tired.

The same idea goes for dinner time. If a little one is hungry or thirsty, their attention span is shorter. If it is possible to plan meal time so that your littles are nice and full during their session, that is best. Feel free to bring snacks along, but a suggestion is to hand their favorite snacks over to the photographer or their assistant. If we have the treats, they are more likely to be attentive to our specific requests.

When choosing snacks, think of options that don’t melt to become overly sticky. Raisins, goldfish, and pretzels, are a few ideas. And please feel free to bring along sippee cups with cool, stain-free drinks in them too, especially if it is a hot day! Thirst can make us all feel yucky and less cooperative.

Tip #3: Try NOT to practice "smiling on command" with your children.

We all do it. I have done it more times than I care to count. "Smile for the camera!" And immediately your beautiful three-year-old wrinkles up his or her nose, squints their eyes almost closed, and bares every tooth in their mouth in a whole-hearted effort to comply! (Yikes! Where did my cutie pie go, right?!) I'm chuckling here, because it seems to be the universal standard attempt of every well meaning parent ever to practice this very important skill, but often it becomes counter-productive. A better way to prepare for a great smile from your children is way more stealthy. Keep a watchful eye for a few day prior to your session. Watch to see what things happen that naturally make you child laugh. What do they think is funny? What appeals to their sense of humor? Jot down a few things on a card or piece of paper that you can provide to me privately at the beginning of our session together. If we need a little help at some point I can refer to the story or event and that memory, combined with the element of surprise that I knew about it can often bring about natural smiles and even laughter. Other things to include are a list of favorite things... baseball, a toy, a food or restaurant, a pet...anything that naturally makes your child feel happy inside.

Tip #4: Relax and enjoy the journey!

Don't let yourself be stressed about the session. Just don't! Decide to sit back and relax as we lead you and the children through the session. Trust the process. Know that extra encouragement from the peanut gallery, while given with the best of intentions, can actually overwhelm children and make them tense up and be less natural in front of the camera. It's hard to see what we are focused on behind the lens, but we promise to give your family 100% as we work with you to capture the most genuine interactions, smiles, hugs, and laughter that are uniquely YOU as a family. We always provide a mix of classic and timeless posed shots also, for the more traditional tastes of some families. Make sure the kids know that you trust them to do their best, and all you really need from them is to relax and have fun. And then as parents also relax and have fun, beautiful memories will be made together that will last for many years to come!

Now all you need to do is schedule that session. We can't wait to serve your family!

Hugs,

Roger and Tina