How to have the best Family Photo Shoot
So you’ve finally persuaded your partner that a family photo shoot is worth the time and investment. You’ve bribed organised the kids. You’ve found clothes that are 1) mostly stain-free and 2) mostly co-ordinated.
And yet with just minutes to go before your family photo shoot you find yourself sweaty palmed with a knot in your stomach the size of the Lego set you promised the kids. Stress has taken hold. You’re sure the kids will only misbehave, and your partner looks like they’d rather be at the dentist than having photos taken.
That’s the feeling you’re destined for if you decide to wing it when it comes to your family photo shoot. But with just the tiniest bit of preparation you can set yourself up for a completely different, thoroughly enjoyable experience that is guaranteed to get you photos to cherish for a lifetime.
Here are 3 tips for a great family photo session
Tip 1: Choose the best type of photo session for your family
Think about what time of day best suits your family
Sunsets are beautiful but if you have little kids that are sleepy eyed by 5pm then for most of the year a sunset session will be too late for your family.
Sometimes the novelty of being out past bedtime is all it takes to flick the switch and go from “walking dead” to “cheery as a kid on Christmas”, but sometimes it’s not enough and you’ll find your little one crashing 15 minutes into the shoot.
If you suspect the latter would be you, I advise you to look into a morning in-home session or else hold out for the early sunsets between late autumn and the end of winter.
Consider what sort of location tells your story
What type of location best reflects the nature of your family? Each location has its own sort of chemistry. Are you beach people? Park people? Or snugged up with a book at home type people?
I have families who love a specific beach because it’s where they walked with their baby every day for the first year. I’ve also worked with families who simply had to capture the way their kids play in the garden at home.
The timing and location of your session should be dictated by the feeling you want to get when you look back on these images too.
Pro tip: The time of day drastically affects the look of outdoor sessions. If you want to see the difference between sunset, morning and mid-day outdoors check out this post.
Is posed in a studio or relaxed on location more you?
While you’re weighing the pros and cons of Studio vs On-Location (note: I am biased here), think about whether your family would prefer to be told exactly how to pose or whether something gently directed is more “you”.
SUMMARY
Time - If your kids turn into grouchy sleep monsters in early evening, look into an in-home morning session instead. Or wait for the cooler months when sunset is earlier. Make sure you know how time of day will affect the look of outdoor shots.
Location - Pick a location that is meaningful to your family (a fav beach, local park, your home, the city block you explore on weekends, your favourite aunt’s lifestyle block).
Style - Studio sessions are often a little more posed to get the best from a neutral space. Families often tell me that on-location sessions are their favourite because they’re more “relaxed and natural looking” (note: you will still be given direction and not left to flounder!).
Tip 2: Block out time in your diary for Pre-Session Preparation
Like almost everything in life, a little preparation goes a long way.
Plan what to wear for your family photos
Don’t leave it until the day before to discuss what you might wear with your partner and check everyones’ wardrobes to see what fits. Do this at least a week in advance so that you have time to go shopping if you discover little Billy’s only pants are now 3/4 length and have a rip in the bum.
I always recommend that when it comes to wardrobe you start with mum first. Find an outfit mum feels a million bucks in (and has tried on recently), and then start co-ordinating everyone else from there. Keep the weather in mind (don’t wear just a t-shirt for a winter session), and aim for co-ordinated rather than matching (everyone wearing white shirts with denim is so 1999).
Pro tip: for a tonne of specific advice on what to wear for your family session go and read this blog post. And if you’re thinking about wardrobe for a Newborn Photo shoot check out this post.
Booking haircuts for the week before also gives you time to tidy up your do.
Rest, sustenance and essentials for a good photo shoot
Aim for a solid night’s sleep the night before. I know this is easier said than done. Sleep comes to parents at the whim of the gods. But where it is possible to avoid disruption you should. E.g. don’t book a session for the day after you get back from a big trip. Or the day before you go away on one. Don’t take the kids to a late movie or a big birthday party the night before.
Make sure everyone is fed and hydrated sufficiently before your shoot (hangry kids make for bad pictures). If you really think the kids won’t make it through the shoot without snacks then bring something small, discrete and quickly eaten (i.e. nothing that melts or is made entirely of food colouring).
But I would encourage you to consider just feeding them well first and going the hour or so without a top up. Partly because kids are easily distracted by food they enjoy and those minutes become time we can’t shoot (unless you want a tonne of photos of them with cracker face). And partly because if you’re bringing snacks, you need something to carry them in. Which brings me to my next point…
Don’t bring anything extra to carry. If you’re having an outdoor session you don’t want to have to lug blankets, scooters, prams, baby bags with you as you walk around, or find places to hide them out of shot. Just bring your valuables and put them in your photographer’s bag.
Avoid bribes (no judgement here - it just helps)
I implore you not to bribe your kids before the shoot. I know, this sounds counterintuitive. After all you’re just saying “Do a good job and we’ll take you to get a Lego after”. But what they hear is “this shoot is the dumb thing standing between me and a new Lego”.
Kids are driven by instant gratification (ever seen the marshmallow experiment?), so when we promise a prize for a job well done they want to do that good job quickly and get that prize IMMEDIATELY please. You are just slowing down their dopamine hit. And that will end in tears 90% of the time.
Instead, give them heaps of praise for how great they’re doing in the moment. High fives, hugs, kisses, and smiles. Play with them. Talk to them. Fly them around and dance like idiots and let that be the reward, with no other promises.
Then, after the session is done and they did an amazing job feel free to surprise them with that Lego you would have offered after all.
SUMMARY
Wardrobe - look at what everyone has to wear a week in advance and try it all on so you know it fits. This leaves time to fill in the gaps if needed. Aim for co-ordinated not matching. Pro tip - have a back up option for anyone that is likely to get messy.
Rest - avoid anything that you know will ruin sleep the night before. Equally avoid tiring activities immediately before a session.
Food & essentials - eat and hydrate everyone well before the session and only bring to the session what you can carry in your pockets (or fit in your photographer’s bag).
Avoid bribes - if you bribe your kids into “doing a good job at the shoot” they will only want that shoot to be over and done with faster so they can get to their treat. This almost always leads to grumpy faces as soon as they realise it’s not just going to be over in three photos.
Tip 3: Relax and let the photographer take the lead
Once you’re at the shoot, let your photographer take the reins & the responsibility for engaging with your kids and creating connection.
It might surprise you to learn that a big part of what you’re paying for in a photography session is separate from the photographer’s skills with the camera. Almost half the work for a professional photographer is developing finely tuned skills for guiding, cajoling and genuinely connecting with the people in front of the lens.
For example, when you arrive at a family session with me you will notice that I put a lot of work in up front to let your kids know that I’m someone they can just be themselves around. I want them to shake off any nerves and be on board with this photo-taking business, because if they’re relaxed you’ll be relaxed!
There’s this funny (and infuriating) phenomenon where our kids often behave better for other adults than they do for us. You might have noticed it with your child’s teacher or a friend’s parent. It’s often the same with the photographer.
If you let your kids know that the photographer is an unstoppable good-ideas machine, whose only purpose is to help your family have fun while they are having their pictures taken, you’ll find they’re more likely to happily follow instructions.
On the flip side, if they feel like mum is trying to “force them to smile for the camera lady” the results are less likely to be good. Bribes only encourage short lived staged performance, not real connections between you and your kids.
So instead, stop worrying about whether they’re behaving “correctly” and just roll with the moment. If they’re super energetic, dance with them (it’ll tire some of the wriggling out of them). If they’re feeling apprehensive then snuggle and sing a song together. Be in the moment and follow the lead of your photographer - they know what looks great on camera, even if it feels like you’re just wasting time playing instead of posing.
SUMMARY
Trust your photographer and let go of perfection.
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