Preparing For Your Family Photoshoot
Capturing beautiful family moments starts with the right preparation. My 8 point preparation guide will help you choose your outfits, help you to know what (and what not) to bring, and ensure a stress-free experience for everyone.
1. Be you!
A lot of my clients worry about how everyone is going to look in their portraits and capturing the perfect shot. Whether it’s worrying about hair, clothing, make-up, weight….it’s the usual stuff we all worry about. But PLEASE don’t stress about it in the slightest! I have a wealth of experience of creating poses and set ups that are flattering and will look gorgeous on the walls of your home!
2. Have a good time!
I pride myself on providing sessions that are fun and friendly, so I want to make sure you have a good time. I look at my sessions as a lovely, lazy walk in the country. A previous client even commented that their session felt like ‘going for a walk with a friend’ ❤️!
3. Don’t say “cheese”!
I have so many tricks up my sleeve to get the best smiles & expressions out of your kids. You genuinely don’t need to spend the session telling them to smile or to behave during. I will give them gentle direction when appropriate, but if they are hearing instructions from multiple sources, it can be quite confusing. I have some really bad jokes & am more than happy to embarrass myself to get a giggle. If you’ve got a family joke or know something that is guaranteed to get a smile, we can deploy these as the session goes on. But otherwise, I’ll let you know what to do and when, and you can take an hour or two off parenting!!
4. Mobile phones
These are best left in the car during your shoot. Mainly because having phones in pockets can create ugly bulges in your final images – but they are also a distraction. You don’t need to check your messages for an hour or two. Just enjoy being in the great outdoors with mother nature and your family (and me!).
5. What to wear
This will probably be the most important decision you make before your photoshoot! Putting a bit of thought into your family’s outfits ahead of your session will pay dividends in the portraits we create. It’s really important that you wear something in which you are comfortable. Wearing clothing which is too tight, short, low or billowy – will not put you at ease & this will show in your portraits. So comfort is vital.
Next think about style; I recommend a smart casual look – something you might wear to a function. Big logos & pictures are best avoided (which I know can be hard for teenagers!), but stripes, spots, florals & checks look great. Layers & accessories are a great idea too; hats, scarves, jackets, braces, hair bands….all these items can add extra variety to your portraits.
Colour is key! Neutrals and pastels which blend & complement each other look great in your final portraits. You don’t need to be all matchy-matchy, but I advise starting with one key piece of clothing and then dressing the rest of the family around this.
Click below for further advice on what to wear.
What to wear for your family photography session
6. Prepare the children
Sometimes it might seem easier not to make too big a deal of your photography session and not really talk to the kids about it in advance. But I have found that if your kids are prepared and know what is going to happen, your session will go a lot more smoothly. So I advise chatting with your children ahead of the session. Letting them know it’s going to be a fun walk with a crazy lady with a camera and that it’s ok to climb trees and pull silly faces and tell terrible jokes!
7. Bribery!
If you have younger kids who need a bit of persuasion to join in the fun and games, feel free to bring along ‘bribery’ snacks which you feel might help to sweeten the grumpiest temperaments! Avoid chocolate and biscuits – these melt or leave crumbs! Fruit such as raspberries or bananas are great as you can ration them out! Small packets of haribo type sweets are also great. You can promise an individual sweet as a reward per successful photo we take!
8. Talk to your other half!
It is common for one partner to make the booking and sometimes not a lot of information gets passed from one partner to the other in advance of the portrait session. There is the potential for those not in the know to feel left out and this can lead to unwelcome tension on a shoot! So, it’s a great idea to share all the information with your partner in advance. Get them involved in the outfit choices and show them some of my imagery. It’s also a really good idea to discuss how you might like to display your images around your home afterwards and talk through the wall art options that are available – see them here.
I hope this guide has given you some really helpful tips and you now feel like you know what to do when preparing for your family photoshoot.
Who is your Family Photographer?
It’s Me! Hi, I’m Georgina.
I have a genuine passion for photographing families. My family photography clients tells me time and again how they’ve been meaning to book a photographer and life just gets in the way and they’ve missed years of memories with their gorgeous children.
I pride myself in putting everyone at ease in front of the camera (even grumpy partners!) and making each and every photoshoot as much fun as possible.
I have photographed children of all ages, from tiny new borns, independent toddlers, through the tructulent teens and into acceptable adulthood!
Do get in touch if you’d like to book a family photoshoot with me this year. I’ll look forward to hearing from you…