8 Tips for a Happy Family Portrait Session

Spring is here and the world is in bloom!  You may have looked outside and thought to yourself, “Now would be a great time for us to get our family portraits taken.”  First of all, congratulations on your fantastic idea!  Now IS a great time to have your family portraits taken, but the thought of making that happen may also make you feel a bit anxious.  Let’s be honest, traumatic family portrait sessions are not uncommon.  You may still be reeling from an awful experience you had four years ago.  I get it and I’m here to help.  I’ve learned a few tricks of the trade that can help make your family portrait experience a little less stressful.  Are you ready?  Let’s do this.

1. Find a photographer who fits your style.

There are a lot of great photographers whose work I admire, but I wouldn’t necessarily hire them to take my family portraits.  If you know someone who takes great pictures of weddings or landscapes, that doesn’t mean they will do a great job with your toddler.  Consider your needs and do some research to figure out exactly what you like and don’t like (such as lots of post-processing) and find a photographer who meets your requirements.

2. Communicate with your photographer as much as possible before the shoot.

Make sure you are both on the same page about what poses you want, where you want to shoot, and how much you want to spend.  There’s nothing worse than getting a bill that is much more than you were expecting to pay.  It really bothers me when photographers aren’t up front about how much they charge.  Get these issues settled before the shoot, or you will definitely regret it later.  While we’re on the subject, make sure you and your spouse communicate as much as possible before the shoot so they know what to expect.  There’s a chance your spouse will care very little about your portrait plans.  If this is the case then continue to keep in touch with your photographer.  I love it when clients send me pictures of their outfit choices and ask me for location suggestions!

3. Dress Mom first.

This isn’t a hard rule that I always follow, but I have found it can make the wardrobe process less stressful.  It’s very likely that the person who will care the most about how they look in the family portrait is Mom.  Therefore it stands to reason that you should start with Mom when you are deciding what to wear.

4. Arrive early (or at least on time).

Expect lots of drama as everyone in your family gets ready for your photo session.  Like, lots of drama.  Plan for it.  Prepare for it.  If you set a goal to arrive early to your location, you will have time to decompress before shooting begins.  In my sessions, I’m on the clock beginning at our appointment time.  So if you show up late or you show up on time but not quite ready, you’re eating into your session time and you are paying me to wait for you.  Arriving early will make your session much more relaxed.

5. Bribe, but don’t threaten.

It may not seem like a big deal to stand there and look pretty, but for your kids (and also maybe your spouse) it’s a big deal.  You can make it worth their while by promising something fun to do or have after the session.  You know what will inspire your family best, so make it good but don’t over shoot.  The key here is to be able to remind your family that something fun will happen after the session and that should make them happy.  DO NOT THREATEN TO TAKE AWAY THE FUN.  I’ve seen it overandoverandover again.  A frustrated parent will blurt out “Hold still and smile or no one gets ice cream!”  Really?  Do you really expect a kid to produce genuine smiles after you just yelled at them?  Don’t be absurd.

6. Strive for real, not perfect.

There’s something I need to tell you.  Are you sitting down for this?  Okay, here goes: Your family is not perfect.  How are you?  You doing okay?  Still breathing?  I can work all kinds of Photoshop magic on your portraits to make your family look perfect.  However, nine times out of ten people choose to buy the shot where their family looks “real” rather than perfect.  I love when a client looks at a picture of their kids and says, “That’s so them!”  Family portraits are a record of a moment in your family’s life, so let them be.  If your kids are laughing and joking with each other during a photo shoot, let them be.  If things get out of hand, your photographer can reign them in.  Otherwise,  let them be.  Keep calm and trust your photographer.

 

7. If there’s something you want fixed, just ask.

Okay, this may seem contradictory to what I just said, but it’s not.  Once the shoot is over and you are reviewing your proofs, let your photographer know if there’s something you would like to fix.  My clients are always surprised by what I can fix in Photoshop.  You never know, so just ask.  I also really like it when clients tell me ahead of time about a zit or scratch that they want taken care of before I begin the editing process.  It makes things much easier for me.

8. If you like your photographer, use them again.

Finding a photographer you like is like finding the right hair stylist.  If you are happy with their work, it will save you all kinds of stress to use them again next time you need portraits taken.  Also, some photographers have loyalty programs that could save you some money on your next session!

I hope you found these tips helpful.  I’d love to hear any tips that you have learned to make family portraits less stressful!  Please share!