April 3, 2020

Get educated!

Upon the arrival of a lifestyle family session, I explain to my clients the best way to get the most out of their photo session. Many people have high expectations about the outcome of their session. Many times, they expect their kids to smile and say “cheese” for every photo. This always surprises me, as they have booked a documentary style session, but I think they forget when the moment arrives WHY they wanted a candid session from the start. I try to prepare my clients ahead of time that not everyone needs to be looking at the camera simultaneously for a good photograph. The best photographs are ones where everyone is engaged with one another. These smiles will in turn be natural. A depiction of your true family connection and love will be the photographs you will ultimately cherish the most. 

Be Prepared

If you are planning a lifestyle newborn session in your home, try to be prepared. You don’t need to clean your house from top to bottom, but having a few well lit rooms organized is essential to beautiful photographs. Clear out all “extras” out of the room. This includes tissue boxes, toiletries and any cluttering item that doesn’t add to your photographs. We don’t need to see your bedside nightly routine in your memorable newborn photos, do we? Make your bed. Dust your mirror or surfaces that will be in the photos. Yes, the camera can see dust!

Next, put aside any clothes you want your baby photographed in so it is laid out for your photographer to evaluate. This will help the timeline of your session. Lastly, undress your baby down to his diaper, swaddle him and feed him and if you are lucky have him asleep for when the photographer arrives. (we know this isn’t always possible but you can try)

Crank the heat. Babies like to feel like they are still in the womb!

Bring an Activity

Successful family sessions often involve an activity for everyone to do together. The younger your children, the more this is crucial! Set out to have a picnic, blow bubbles, play games or go for ice cream. Anything to keep your family focused on other than the photographer helps keep your photographs natural. This also helps anyone who is a bit camera shy or unsure of what to do with their hands and feet. 😉

Choose your Clothing Carefully

Firstly, identify which photographs you like on Pinterest or Instagram. Why? Are they moody, light and airy, soft and elegant? Look at the subjects clothing and notice how they either match the location or stand out from it. Choose your clothing in advance and ensure everyone coordinates. Long gone, is the style to dress like a bunch of matching clones. Ditch those red shirts and jeans for the entire family and go for something cohesive and flowing. Each person should have a different look that identifies them as uniquely them, but the colours and style should flow. Neutrals are a classic no fail option especially in natural settings. Or if you are a more spunky group, choose neutrals like hues of tans and greys and add pops of rust or mustard yellow. Accessorizing can also be a great way to add personality to your photos, like adding a great tan hat, scarf or headband to mom or dad. You can then shoot some photos with and without it. 

Be well rested and fed

No one ever functions well without rest or food. For this reason, it is important to choose your shoot time according to kids naps and eating times too. Of course every photographer wants sunset for the best shots, but sometimes you need to consider your child’s happiness factor as the priority! If your kids have the most energy and smiles in the morning, then shoot in the morning! You and your photographer will thank you for that! Working against your families natural happiness time is just set for disaster. You will end up disappointed and your photographer will likely end up frustrated trying to get everyone in a good enough mood to capture. There is nothing worse than your child screaming while two parents sweat in stress and frustration, trying to get their kid to smile. And don’t forget to bring snacks and be well fed yourself! No one likes to perform when they are hangry. 

Have plenty of time to get ready

No one ever feels their best when they rush to get ready. Adding some kids in the mix makes it even harder. Be smart and allocate the day for your family session. I know this sounds like a lot of time, but if you are spending the money on something for keeps, make it worth everyone’s while! 

Let the photographer direct your kids! 

There is nothing worse than two parents standing behind the photographer yelling variations of “Say cheese” “Smile” “Look at mommy” etc. Yelling at your kids to perform will only stress your kids out and instantly turn the session into an expectation for your kids. They will in turn do everything but smile and often times act out in rebellion. The result is cranky kids, crappy photos and stressed out parents (and photographer). Step back, and allow the photographer to do her work. She will get your kids to react to her engagement in natural and activity driven ways so that the photoshoot stays fun! This will result in happy people and natural smiles. Trust me. It works.