Here are some expert tips to help you prepare for your family photography session.
This guide is here to help you prepare for your in family photography session.
I want you to know exactly what you can expect from your shoot and this quick guide will help you feel comfortable, look your best and feel confident this will ultimately make you feel thrilled with your photographs and the overall experience.
1. What to wear.
The number one and most important rule is for mom to wear something that you feel comfortable in and dress your family around that.
It’s so important that you feel like your unique and wonderful self, which I know is easy to say and harder to do after you have just birthed a little human. I promise you that my goal is to make you feel and look beautiful. Because YOU ARE! Please share with me any concerns or ideas that could help our session and help you feel your best.
Be yourself, wear styles and colors that you already love and don’t be afraid to accentuate your outfit with your favorite jewelry or accessories.
I recommend wearing a fairly neutral color palette to keep your images looking fresh, clean, and timeless.
My editing complements my brand palette below. I highly recommend looking for clothing in these colors, or in colors that complement them.
Avoid wearing bright red and green as it can create unflattering color casts on skin. Also avoid overly busy patterns or t-shirts with a large, attention grabbing graphic.
It’s great to pick a color for your family outfit, but rather than putting everyone in a black top, play up the variety but mixing different shades, adding a splash of an analogous color (colors that are next to each other on the color wheel) they usually match well and are pleasing to the eye. OR try mixing different patterns with your chosen color. And don’t forget about accessories! Hats, jewelry, scarves, anything with texture and movement will just make your photos look that much better.
It’s a great idea to lay out your outfits before our shoot and see how they go together. I’m happy to make suggestions once I arrive.
Outfit bottoms can be, jeans, khakis, slacks, leggings, jumpsuits, skirts of complementary colors.
If you are nursing keep that in mind when planning your outfit. You can either layer up with a tank top, that was my go to move when nursing, you can easily pull the shirt up and the tanktop down. Something with a scoop or V-neck will make nursing easily accessible. And of course you can wear your favorite nursing top or dress.
Here are the Pinterest Boards I’ve curated for clients to reference when planning their wardrobes. Also, I beg of you, PLEASE resist the white shirt and jeans/khaki uniform you see on so many people’s Christmas cards. Trust me, this is not a good look.
Some of my favorite clothing brands to buying cute women, men, and/or childrens’ clothes include Zara, H&M, Madewell, Roolee, Free People, Anthropologie, and Target!
PRO TODDLER TIP: If you have a toddler preset and your toddler refuses to wear the designated outfit, don’t worry! If half of your shoot they are in a princess dress or dinosaur costume we will make it work. It’s much easier to just go with it for a bit and let them have some power in the experience. Most likely this will be the exact thing that will make them want to change their mind and outfit. AND some of your photos will reflect what your kiddo was so endearingly obsessed with in this particular time in your life.
2. Make up and Hair
Do what makes you feel comfortable. I tend to schedule shoots around an hour before sunset and I find this is plenty of time for everyone to get ready.
For make-up simple is best. A tiny bit of foundation, mascara, a bit of blush and your favorite lip balm or lipstick. If you are excited for this opportunity to put your face on-then do it girl! Whatever makes you feel good. I want you to be yourself. I do advise not to over do it OR at least make sure you blend well. If you are worried about puffy eyes just put some cold spoons on your eyes a few minutes before you start getting ready.
During our photo shoot I will gently guide you into poses that make you look amazing.
Depending on your hair type, give it a wash the morning of or the night before. Some volume is a great idea, you can use large curlers or go about your regular routine. My best tip is do with your hair what you would normally do when going to an important event.
Go with happy hour hair vs. wedding hair. You want to feel good without feeling stressed. I will help you and give you tips if I notice any fly-aways at our shoot. I’m here for you!
3. Kid Prep
In Home Sessions
If you’re anything like me, you will have to think about straightening up the chaos before our session. Choose a few rooms, ideally with windows and lots of natural light, to focus on. I do not use overhead light and avoid flash as much as necessary, so again, think about the brightest rooms in your house. Then think about how you can declutter. Put out items you love and put away all the crap you don’t. Perhaps you can even get the kids in on it with some sort of reward, aka snacks.
Please have any blankets, props like games or fun activities for the family, and (MY FAV) house plants out and ready for their closeups. To keep the photos personal and matching the vibe and design of your home I do prefer to use things my clients already have.
If you have a baby, I highly recommend feeding him/her beforehand. There’s no rush, so if he or she needs a diaper change or another feeding during the session, no prob! I may turn it into a family event though.
Outdoor Sessions
Unlike indoor sessions, you don’t have to worry a stitch about preparing the location, but you will want to consider things like whether or not there’s water there (aka, think about the possibility of going shoeless or bringing a change of shoes) and pretty quilts or blankets to wrap up the whole family in. My goal for families sessions is to create relaxed, playful images of you and your little ones.
All family sessions are shot right after sunrise or before sunset, no exceptions. I know, as a mother myself, shooting late into the day can be tricky with little ones but I keep all my sessions short and fun. Pretty light is always worth adjusting your routine a bit. It’s always a good idea to bring snacks and water for little ones to look forward to during our sessions. I am not a “sit still, smile and say cheese” kind of photographer, so you kids will be free to roam and play. All basic family sessions are held at local open spaces or mountains for the most part. I also offer Rocky Mountain National Park Sunset Sessions if you are looking for something more adventurous.
4. Session Flow
After photographing countless families, I have learned that when people feel comfortable and not on the spot they are able to enjoy the experience and authentically connect with their family. Thus, making magical, honest, love filled photos that you will treasure for years to come. And one day your kids will too!
I will help by providing expert positioning suggestions, gentle direction and activities to keep the mood light to allow you to stay fully present and for your family's love to shine through naturally.
Keep in mind that although we do have a plan, it's best to stay flexible and let our session unfold. I promise you my ultimate goal is for this photo shoot to be a relaxed and enjoyable experience.
Our session will last up to 1 hour, which I find is the perfect amount of time to not feel rushed and to get the most out of our family session without burning out the kids (and dads, let’s be real).
PRO TIP KIDS: For the hour that we are together try and NOT discipline your kids. Unless they are doing something dangerous or against your values, please intervene but otherwise just let them be! Kids generally don’t like to do what they are told, so telling them to sit here or look that way actually works against us. I will use my expert skills and proven games to facilitate our session. I promise it will be worth it. It will make your session less stressful, your kids will have fun, dad won’t need a 6 pack to recover from photography session trauma and your photos will be magical. Just leave it to me and let me communicate with your kiddos. If I need help I will get you involved asap. Bribes are always a good idea. An after photo shoot treat seems to be a favorite.
5. Communication and Co-creation:
It’s important to have an idea of what you would like your final images to feel like and for me to get to know you better. For this purpose you will receive a quick questionnaire before your shoot.
Please communicate with me if there are any specific photos that you want. We will definitely get the “Christmas card photo” of everyone looking, as well as some sweet interactive moments and the beauty in the chaos of your new adventure. We will also focus on documenting the different relationships in your new family: mom + kiddo(s), partner + kiddo(s), siblings, just mom+dad , etc...If there is any specific photo that you want just let me know.
I love when clients make suggestions and inspire me to try different things while trusting my expertise and dedication to my craft to carry them out. I absolutely love when they let me try out fun and artsy things as well.
The point of my sessions is to document your authentic moments through my perspective while connecting with your and your story. This means that I’m not just going through the motions of snapping photos, instead this is a collaborative process where I help create space for you be yourselves and look amazing.
We will create images that will speak to you for years and help you freeze and keep the beauty in yourself and your life.
