What to Expect from your Family Photo Session
Family photo sessions with me are fast-paced and fun. My goal is handle everything during your session so that all you have to do is enjoy your kids and look fab! You can expect me to be hands on with posing, to fix your clothing and your hair, to engage with your kids, and even to chase and retrieve them for you. Sessions are meant to be as quick and easy as possible, but I know that if you’ve never done a photoshoot with me before it may be hard to know what to expect.
WHAT TO EXPECT
First - throw all expectations out the window. The sessions you see on Instagram that look so polished and calm…I guarantee you they weren’t. Kids are kids, and we let the be just that. The amazing photos are grabbed in between a lot of movement and I personally thrive in chaos!
Your session will last anywhere from 40-60 minutes (maternity sessions are 60-90), depending on a number of factors (size of family, age of kids, amount of walking at location, need for breaks, cooperation level, etc) I do not base my session off of time, but rather off of poses as well as the feeling of how the family is doing (when I feel that the kids are “done”, I will not push us further unless there are crucial poses we didn’t get to yet).
Once we begin, the tempo will be fast paced and we will quickly move from pose to pose as to not lose the engagement of the kids. I will ask that you just keep smiling and let me handle telling your kids what to do and interacting with them. Sometimes even when your kids aren’t doing exactly what we asked them to, the result is an adorable picture so we want to make sure parents always look happy!
DID YOU KNOW? I was a high school teacher and coach prior to being a photographer. I’ve coached kids of all ages, worked with special needs children, and even worked in a preschool. What makes my sessions so successful are my ability to keep kids engaged in a positive and fun way…so if your kids aren’t “listening”, I will still have lots of techniques I’ll use to ensure we get fantastic pictures.
DO
Try to keep your kids on a normal schedule for the day with naps and meals (but don’t panic if their nap schedule is off - it never fails on picture day!)
Inform your spouse on what to expect. If they aren’t super invested in the session, this is common. Don’t expect them to care as much as you do, but do express to them how important these pictures are to you.
Allow plenty of travel time so you don’t have to feel stressed about being late.
Come in with an open mind and realistic expectations…we are not setting out to replicate anyone else’s photos, but rather to capture YOUR family just as they are.
Have ideas of ways you’d like to interact with your child(ren) that are realistic for things you do in real life. I will always have ideas ready, but this will make your photos more meaningful. Piggyback rides, nose kisses, snuggles…how do you play/snuggle with your child in regular life?
Expect that I will let your kids act a little silly - this helps me to keep them smiling, having fun, and increases their level of cooperation when I do ask them to “pose” (see below!).
Remind yourself that things will not (and don’t need to) be perfect….you will still end up with AMAZING photos.
DON’T
Plan a day full of activities prior to your session (beach day, birthday party, doctor’s appointments, pumpkin picking, etc). Keep your morning low-key if possible and relaxed.
Expect your kids to “listen” or “act perfectly”. Kids are not going to sit still, and some of the best pictures come as the result of kids “acting out” a little bit and flashing big genuine smiles while doing so! My posing is designed to be able to react to whatever kids are doing.
Train your kids to say “cheese” or smile. Most kids are incapable of smiling authentically on command…our goal will be to MAKE them smile and laugh so we have the chance to capture their real smiles.
Yell at your family prior to photos - believe me, I UNDERSTAND how stressful it is and it may feel like nobody is cooperating. But it will be impossible to have fun if you’ve all been arguing on the way to the session.
Although I am a big fan of bribes, I ask that you not utilize these prior to or during our session. Promising a reward ahead of time is much less effective that doing so DURING the session as needed. I will have rewards on hand, but they are much more effective when kids don’t know about them beforehand.
Snacks, phones, toys - all of these items tend to cause more harm than good when brought out during a session, because your child will mostly likely be upset when they are taken away. Phones and youtube especially tend to overstimulate children and should only be used as a last resort. Try to let me engage with your child and I will let you know if I need backup - it’s super important that we keep the momentum going and not stop.
WEATHER
We all know that weather in Connecticut is crazy! Please do yourself a favor and don’t watch the weather for the week leading up to your session…the forecast is rarely accurate that far away.
If there is a threat of rain, we typically make the decision the morning of your session. If you have hair/makeup scheduled that needs a decision sooner, I’m happy to accommodate but the forecast will not be as accurate as possible.
If we do get rained out, you will have the option to either reschedule to a new date or to move your session indoors.