What is a Family session? Glad you asked! I would love to explain!

What do you think of when you think of taking family portraits?

Do you think of having an evening where you hang out with your family, having fun and making memories together while your photographer keeps everyone engaged and happy and having fun (yes, even dad!), and you end up with lots of beautiful memories in photo form?

Or do you think of having to coax and persuade everyone into the outfits you picked out for them? Nobody is excited or wants to take pictures. And then when it comes time to actually have your pictures taken, everyone is grumpy, maybe there are some squabbles on the way to your location, and worst of all, actually having the pictures taken is the worst part. Nobody knows what to with their hands, you have to keep telling your children, “Just smile!” when that’s the last thing you yourself feel like doing, and as soon as you get one picture where everyone looks reasonably happy, you call it quits.

If the second one describes your experience with family portraits, I’m so sorry and I’m here to tell you, it doesn’t have to be that way!! I promise! So if you want some tips for how to have a fun, stress free family portrait session, stay tuned!

Prepare your family.

Preparation is key. And this will look different depending on the ages of your children. For younger children, explain to them what will be happening and make sure they know that this will be fun. They will most likely have chances to run around as well as just standing still. Sometimes having a reward of some kind for afterwards is a huge help. I’ve used the promise of candy for after the session and it works wonders for getting a smile!

Older children may need a promise of a reward too! Maybe you want to go out for supper afterwards. Or maybe there’s something else that you can promise for afterwards. And remind them that they too will have fun! Most of the time during a family session, there will be times where the photographer will do individuals, just mom and dad, and other groups, so most likely they will get a break at some point.

Wanting more tips for your family session? Stay tuned because there’s more coming!

Ready to book your family session? Click here to reach out!