Tips for a Successful Family Photoshoot

Let's be real.  Hiring a professional photographer costs money.  And you want to get the most for your money, right?  So it's no wonder why moms in particular are often super stressed about making their photoshoot absolutely perfect.  I get it!  And I'm here to help.  With hundreds of photoshoots under my belt, I have had my fair share of great sessions, and also plenty of awful ones.  I am constantly learning ways that I, the photographer, can get the best possible results.  But there are also a lot of things YOU can do to help ensure we get the best images we can.  I've broken this advice down into two parts, before your session, and during.  I hope it helps!

Before Your Session

Plan wardrobe ahead of time

The clothes your family wears during a session can make it, or break it.  It's important.  And coordinating multiple people's outfits takes time, so don't leave it 'til the last minute!  Here are some quick tips to keep in mind, when planning everyone's outfits:

  1. Don't match, coordinate.  If everyone is wearing the same color or same pattern, you lose all the individuals.  You want to choose colors that compliment one another, but aren't "matchy-matchy."
  2. Consider the location.  Pick clothes that will work with your background.  A leather jacket and boots might work for a downtown urban location, but it doesn't really make sense on the beach.
  3. Don't be afraid to mix patterns and textures. It makes the images more interesting!
  4. Don't overlook the SHOES.  All too often, people plan their outfits, but don't take their shoes into account.  And you WILL see them in your photos, and especially if they don't go with the outfit.. it WILL matter.  A great outfit can be instantly ruined with a pair of hot pink crocs.
  5. NO WORDS OR LOGOS.  Prints and patterns on materials are fine, but stay away from shirts with words, logos, or pictures of them.  It's really distracting, and it doesn't look nice.

For more detailed help on wardrobe planning, check out this great blog by an amazing photographer: 

http://www.yourqt.com/10-tips-on-what-to-wear-to-your-photography-session-portland-oregon/

Prep the kids

In the days or weeks leading up to your photoshoot, let your kids know it's coming.  Even we as adults get through any situation better when we know exactly what to expect, and kids are the same.  Let them know what we'll be doing, include them in outfit preparation, etc.  Most importantly though, make the photoshoot something for them to look forward to.  No need to talk about bribes or expectations of smiling or anything else that will make it feel like a job.  You want them to look forward to the fun we'll have, not the things they will be expected to do.

Prep dad (if you need to)

Photoshoots are almost always moms idea, and she is always the one doing all the planning and coordinating.  Dad typically just needs to show up.  But his attitude can have a major impact on how the kids behave.  Many dads (my husband included) don't really care for having their photos taken.  But if they show up to a session with the mindset of just trying to get it over with, kids can pick up on that and may then second-guess if what we're doing is actually fun or not.  And it should be fun!  But both mom and dad need to be on board.

Plan to arrive early

Punctuality is extremely important.  If you're late, you are cutting in to your precious session time, which could mean less total images.  I also schedule sessions at a specific time for optimal lighting.  So starting too late can often have a negative impact on the quality of your images.  Plus, feeling rushed and stressed during a session never helps anybody.  Planning to arrive at least 15 minutes early will give you time to get the kids dressed (if they aren't in their picture clothes already), and it will help to set a relaxed tone for your entire session.  If you have a farther distance to travel, I suggest using a desktop computer to access google maps.  You can input the exact day/time you want to arrive by (set the time to at least 15 minutes before your session time), and it will tell you what time you need to leave by.  I'll often leave even a little earlier than the suggestion, just to allow for any unexpected traffic incidents.

During Your Session

Be positive

I'll probably mention positivity several times in the next few sections, but it really is the most important thing.  Set the tone for an hour of family fun time, and the genuine happiness and love will shine through in your images.

Let go of expectations

This is a hard one, I know.  It's easy to get caught up in adorable pinterest poses and dreams of all the children smiling at the camera at the exact same time to create that perfect family portrait.  Kids often show up to sessions expected to pose a certain way, continuously look at the camera, and of course, smile every time.  Even for a child that can take direction and do all those things, it can get tiresome, and the images can end up looking unnatural.  Usually because they are.  My favorite shots are often the ones where they are not smiling, or not looking.  And the best smiling shots are never when they are being hounded to "say cheese!" It's when they are actually genuinely having fun.

None of this is to say I conduct my sessions without a plan.  I do do plenty of posing, I do often encourage kids to look at me, and I do always try to engage them so I can get some real smiles.  The point is just to not get stressed if they are not doing exactly what you want.  Chances are, we're still getting plenty of great shots.  I hear ALL THE TIME after I deliver a gallery, "I can't believe you got so many good ones even though _______ was so uncooperative!" 

Eliminate all negativity

I said I'd continue talking about positivity, didn't I?  Here it comes.  The last thing I ever want to do is give out unsolicited parenting advice.  It's not my place.  But in the spirit of maximizing the success of your session, I can tell you from experience that negative motivation during a photoshoot works 0% of the time.  If a child is not smiling, and the parent in response threatens to take something away, withhold a bribe (more on bribes later), or scolds the child for misbehaving.. the result is never a happy smiling child.  Even a child who does smile in response to this is not really smiling, and it doesn't fool the camera.  It seems like common sense but I do experience this a lot.  If you want the child to appear happy.. my job (and yours) is to make them truly happy, not upset.

Bribes

Generally speaking, I am not a fan of bribing children.  Or anyone, for that matter.  But a little positive reinforcement for good behavior does often work for many families.  So for that reason, I'll share some thoughts on when incentives work, and when they do not.  I find small, continuous rewards seem to work the best.  During my own family photoshoot, I kept a tube of mini m&ms with me, and gave some to my 4-year-old every 5-10 minutes or so and thanked him for his cooperation.  I find this works better than promising one thing at the end of the entire session.  Also, how does your child respond to incentives?  Are they old enough to understand?  If you offer a reward, but they'll only whine until they get it, it's probably not the best tactic.  That'll only lead to either giving in (which defeats the entire purpose), or having to withhold the reward, which again brings us back to that unwanted negativity.  You know your child best, so I leave this decision up to you.

Minimize distractions

This one is specific to the times during the session when I'm photographing just the child (or children) only.  I find I get the best images when the child and I can just focus on each other.  Most kids actually do better if the parents step away completely.  Don't they always seem to behave better for teachers or other adults than for their own parents?  I think this is the same concept.  Of course if the child would have anxiety about it, I wouldn't recommend it because like I keep saying, we're going for happy.  For parents that do keep close while I'm shooting, it's tempting to want to pull out all the stops to get them to smile.  (Remember those darn expectations?)  I'm guilty of this, too.  But the more song and dance that is going on behind me, the less likely it is that they will actually look at the me.  And I know I said before that not looking at the camera can be good too, but looking right above it or just to the side of it, in my opinion, is usually not ideal.  Now, this does not apply to ALL children.  Some kids can be entertained by something behind me, and then hold that smile to look right at me.  But in general, it's usually best if I am the only one the child is paying attention to.

 

I hope you found at least some of this information helpful.  I want a great session just as much as you do.  If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to ask!