Preparing For Your Family Session

Ready for family portraits?

I’ve created this guide to help you make the most of your family portrait session. My goal is always to create an experience that is as easy, stress-free, fun and memorable as possible. By the way, it’s totally okay to not feel ready yet; that’s what this guide is for!

These are my promises to you:

  1. I will never force you to do anything. I will give gentle guidance and direction but never make it awkward.

  2. I will follow little ones’ lead. I read children’s expressions and body language as much as possible to understand what they find fun, funny, and interesting. I will try to follow their cues and engage with them to help them feel comfortable, respected and valued during our time together. This goes for shoots with tweens and teens, too.

  3. I will keep the vibe positive. I will show up smiling and will put my whole heart into our shoot. Let’s make magic together!

What to wear

Choosing what to wear for your family photos is one of the most challenging aspects of the experience. It can feel so overwhelming. Here are some guidelines to make it easier.

Be yourself! This is my number one rule. Choose clothing you love to wear. If you’re a minimalist, go with something low key and classic. If you’re a maximalist, don’t be afraid to be a bit extra!

Please choose clothes that make you feel great when you wear them. Choosing good quality fabrics and well fitting garments really adds a polished look to your images. My favourite fabrics are cotton, bamboo, linen, wool, leather, tweed and silk. I generally recommend avoiding fabrics with a lot of bounce to them as they don’t photograph as well.

Neutrals always photograph well and give a timeless look, but don’t be afraid of colour, either if you love colour. Vivid and bright colours can look great on camera. The only ones that the camera doesn’t always agree with are fuchsia, bright red, or bright orange.

Avoid wearing anything with logos, text, or small stripes. These can actually warp on camera and be very distracting. You want to keep the focus on you! Prints are okay, but solids generally look best in my opinion.

Don't feel pressured to wear matching outfits or any kind of uniform, as that can skyrocket you into "Awkward Family Photos" territory. Instead, just choose colours that harmonize together and make sure you're all wearing roughly the same dress code (e.g. a ball gown and sweatpants might not be the best match).

Here's a Style Guide I've made on Pinterest I've made with some ideas to get you started.

Props

When chosen thoughtfully, props are awesome! It’s often helpful to bring along a child’s favourite toy or comfort object. This can bring them a sense of calm in an unfamiliar experience. Other props you might bring could include anything specific to the milestone we’re documenting, anything sentimental, a message written on a letter board, a handwritten note, fun accessories or décor like balloons, banners, etc. You could also bring along toys, games or even sports equipment that might be fun for the whole family. This often leads to fun, dynamic imagery and helps everyone loosen up and forget they’re being photographed. The way to use props well is to choose things that are either related to the theme of your shoot, or things you actually use/love in your family’s life. Keep it relevant!

Preparing your home for a family session

I don’t bring this up to put pressure on you; rather, I mention this so you don’t feel pressured! If we’re doing your family portraits in your home, here are some quick tips to help you prep.

You do not need your house to be professionally cleaned before our shoot! Perfection is not necessary. Tidy and cozy is good.

If at all possible, I recommend tidying beforehand as if you were having a friend over for dinner. So, straightened up and clutter contained, but the odd dust bunny in the corner will definitely go unnoticed!

If your kids have a million toys, I would recommend tucking away the excess but leaving their favourites out and accessible, as this often brings an element of realness and fun to your images.

If we’re shooting on location

Hopefully we chose a place that you love, that you find beautiful, or that has particular meaning to you. Once we arrive at the location, the light will be our guide. Natural light is always the boss on any shoot, as it can make or break a photo, and I encourage you to let go and follow the light with me. We will laugh and play and find the best spots in any given location. I can’t wait to explore with you!

The flow of your portrait session

Here’s a basic itinerary:

1. We meet and talk about our goals for the shoot
2. Start to take photos
3. Outfit change or location change (if applicable)
4. Take some more photos
5. Wrap up

All in all our shoot will be about 60 minutes, unless you’ve added more time for an extended family session, or 15 minutes if your shoot is a mini session. I work as quickly as I can with families with little ones and pets than during adult shoots, simply because I am conscious of tiring out your kids and/or animals and keeping everyone happy and energized the whole time!

TOP 5 TIPS FOR A GREAT SESSION

1. Be yourselves. Don't worry about posing - it's my job to take care of that. Just be natural together and let kids be themselves and you'll be the most natural looking pictures that are a true reflection of you.

2. Make sure you’ve all had something to eat and drink before your session. It’s important to be hydrated and fed to keep your energy levels up! Being "hangry" during portraits is no fun.

3. Prepare like you’re getting ready for date night. If possible, take just a few extra minutes to get yourself ready so that you feel really good.

4. Have fun. Enjoy being a family and enjoy this moment with each other, just the way you are. Don't put any pressure on yourselves to do anything out of the ordinary. Let's just have a blast together and take some photos as a souvenir of the experience.

5. Give yourself permission to feel beautiful/handsome. Let your guard down, get into it, and give me your all for our session. The confidence and joy you feel will make your photos glow.

After your shoot

  1. Your photo session images will be uploaded to your online gallery for viewing and downloading within three weeks of your full-length session or two weeks of your mini session. I will send you a link to the gallery so you can share it with family and friends. Yay!

  2. You are welcome to order prints, albums or other products right from your gallery. You will see a beautiful selection of products with previews of your own images displayed within them, to give you a sense of what your order will look like in your home. You can place the order and have it shipped to your door!

  3. I may post a selection of your images to my social media, blog and/or website. Please advise me by email if you do not wish for me to share your images on social media.

Schedule your next session

I recommend scheduling family portraits once a year to document your family’s story as you grow and change. You can also book sessions for special milestones, events or holidays. And mini sessions are always a great way to have updated portraits in an express setting. Typically each year I offer HEIRLOOM portraits each quarter, and mini sessions around the holidays.

The best way to hear about upcoming special sessions is by signing up to my mailing list. Subscribers always get early access!