Have you ever booked a family photography session and started stressing out about everything it entails? You want to make sure the outfits are perfect, you are worried your toddler won’t cooperate, your teenager won’t smile, the venue won’t meet your vision, so on and so on? I get it. I have been there and I know exactly what all the worry is about. Family pictures are super important and you are likely investing good money into something that will be on your walls in a few short weeks. Well, at least that is the plan, right? I want to help you prepare for your session so that you and your photographer can create a perfect session! I want it to be an enjoyable experience rather than a chore. A lot, if not most, of this is the responsibility of the photographer. But, there are ways that you can come prepared that will help the photographer and will allow them to do their job to the best of their ability, so you can have the best experience possible. Here are my top seven ways you can prepare for your family session.
1.) Make sure you book the right photographer for you! In my opinion, this is most important! You can read more about how I went about choosing my family photographer this year here. This is going to be different for everyone. But before you book, make sure the photographer you hire matches your style and offers the experience you were hoping to get. For example, I don’t do studio shoots for child portraits anymore so I wouldn’t expect someone to hire me who wanted studio shots. I like having newborns and babies in the studio, but when they are ready to walk, I’d rather let them explore outside. Therefore, I would never do a family session in my studio. And to be honest, that is not my style. If it’s your style, that’s great! But, we wouldn’t be the right match (and you wouldn’t have to read # 5 and #6 on this list). It’s important that you find what works best for you.
2.) Get your family excited about pictures! Book your session when everyone is on board to come with great attitudes. This means everyone! Mom and Dad need to be just as excited as all the kids. Talk to your kids, your spouse, and everyone about the details. Make this special! While there may be some posed pictures, it is a family photographer’s dream to capture the natural and organic moments that happen in your family. This should be fun for all of you! So, my best advice is to just be yourselves and focus on connecting with each other. If you come with great attitudes and are ready to have fun loving on your family, then everyone will be more relaxed – including your photographer.
3.) Have a pre-session consultation about your expectations with your photographer. Communication is so important when it comes to your session. Your photographer should talk about everything from what you can expect, to pricing and outfit coordination. But, you have expectations too! We are here to serve you. After all, this is a service. So don’t be afraid to discuss your vision for the shoot. Part of my growing experience as a newer photographer was learning to better communicate. Some of my most stressful shoots were when I didn’t clearly communicate to the client about what they could expect.
4.) Coordinate outfits well before the shoot. Choosing coordinating outfits should probably be the ONLY stress with the whole process – assuming you have chosen the right photographer. I know how hard it is to find an outfit for everyone in the family that both reflects your style and makes you feel gorgeous. The most important thing to remember as you are shopping is to be yourself. Choose something that makes you feel good! Your photographer wants you to feel comfortable – in all respects – so if you don’t feel comfortable in your OUTFIT, the one element that will be in every single picture, then that will reflect on your face and in your body language. Be yourself! Secondly, when it comes to coordinating outfits, do not try too hard to match. You want to coordinate, not be “matchy matchy”. By that, I mean you want to choose a few colors to work with and pull those from each other. Work with different patterns and accessories to add dimension to your photos. Coordinating versus matching allows for the focus to be on the subjects and it allows for a much more natural-looking capture.
5.) Be prepared to move and participate. If you choose an outdoor setting – be prepared to explore. Be prepared to take some shots standing up and sitting down. If you come with little ones, be prepared to move. The photographer wants to be able to give you a variety of shots and this is not possible if you aren’t willing to relocate and explore and move!!!
6.) Let the kids be little. In my opinion, this can either make or break a session. When I first started my business I did not communicate with clients about how important it is to let their kids run around. A toddler who is asked to sit and smile for an hour is NOT going to be happy. How many parents have a toddler that sits and smiles for an hour? <cricket, cricket> Right? Then why would that be an expectation at a shoot? The more you allow your child to run and explore, the happier the child. The happier the child, the happier the parents and the more natural the photographs. Your photographer should be willing to get up and move and play games with your child. Be sure to communicate beforehand the ages and personalities of your kids so your photographer can have some games or attention keepers on hand to use during the session.
7.) Trust your photographer. I can’t talk about this enough!! I say it to all the bride and grooms I meet with – trust is so important when it comes to photography. Nothing can make your shoot come to a screeching halt faster than you not trusting your photographer. I know there are extreme situations, but part of booking the right photographer and having your pre-session consultation is trusting your photographer. The best part of this is that you can be mentally and emotionally present with your family at the shoot because you can safely trust that your photographer knows what you want and will get your shots. There might be times when your photographer forgets some of what you have talked about before your session. I would suggest mentioning at the beginning or the end of the session some requests you have. If it’s at the beginning or the end of a session rather than in the middle, it doesn’t interrupt the flow of the session and allows your photographer to work in all of your requests. Ultimately, your photographer wants you to be completely satisfied with the experience and the product. By listening to and working with your photographer, you are telling them you have confidence in them and they will likely be on their “A game”. Even the best of the best photographers internalize distrust and work throughout the rest of the session to turn it around rather than focus on their art and your love.
Photography should be just as much a joy to you as it is for your photographer. And, by preparing ahead of time for the investment you’re making in the art displaying your love, it can be an amazing memory as well as an amazing product. 
Warmly,
Stacy
+ COMMENTS
add a comment