Last week, I wrote about Planning Your Engagement Session. I gave some tips on the time of day, location, outfits, and a couple others. As most of you know, though, I am NOT strictly a wedding photographer…I love taking maternity, family, senior, and children’s portraits!  So, last week’s post got me thinking, “why not offer this kind of information for the other sessions!?”
Duh, Caiti!!

Today, I am going to talk about some tips for planning your family session! There is actually a lot that goes into this and I am probably not hitting on all of it! When you start involving children in picture sessions, things get tricky. Let’s just be honest. You have to be prepared for E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G!! Am I right, mamas? Most likely, on the day of the session, the mom has 100 things running through her mind and she is grabbing/doing 50 things just while walking out the door. She is lucky if she remembered to put all of her makeup on or grabbed the right shoes. I am so impressed when families show up with 3 or 4 kids and just have it all together! More power to you because I am struggling to get places with just the TWO that I have!

When it comes to family pictures, do NOT hesitate to talk with your photographer about EVERYTHING! If you are nervous about something, or really want a specific shot/pose you have seen, you aren’t sure of your outfits choices, WHATEVER it is, talk with them! That is what they are there for!

So let’s jump right in and talk about some things I think you should do or think about when planning your family pictures:

1. Location.
The location of your session can be somewhere you have been wanting to have pictures taken or somewhere you photographer picks. Feel free to tell your photographer if you have a place or idea in mind or ask for some options. For family sessions, I highly recommend places that are open, less crowded, and few distractions. Think about it…you get out of the car with your little ones and they immediately start looking around to see what they can find. OR they start trying to dart off in different directions. Being on a busy street or right next to a playground can cause for LOTS of distractions. You want your kids to easy be able to focus on the photographer or you, right? Also, choosing a location that is more open and less distracting, means your photos won’t be distracting. You want the focus of your pictures to be your family, not all the stuff in the background. (With that said, there are plenty of family pictures that I have seen with “busy” backgrounds that look GREAT, but I wouldn’t do the entire session there. Does that make sense?) Think open fields, plantations, the beach, a park — places like that.

2. Timing
Let’s talk time of day & time of year. Like I said last week, no one wants to be miserable while having their picture taken and the weather can make it pretty miserable. I recommend not having your family pictures taken in the freezing cold or the burning summer heat. Now, in Virginia, we honestly never know what the weather is going to be like. I have had sessions in December where it is sunny and 75. However, I usually recommend the spring or fall for family pictures. The last thing you want is a super sweaty kid in your pictures because they usually get really grouchy when they are hot, or for them to be shivering.
Now let’s talk about the time of day! I prefer to do family sessions about an hour before sunset. The lighting is best at that time so I don’t have to search as much for the places with the right amount of shade or whatever else. I don’t want to be looking for places when I have restless kids involved OR if the kids are ready right then for their picture to be taken & doing awesome but the light isn’t right. Also, that pretty sunset glow coming in behind your family is just beautiful!! However, lots of kids are on very strict schedules (and I get that!) so some parents have a specific time of day that they feel works best for their kids and I will work with that! You know your kids best so, if you have little babies or toddlers that are just cranky after 5pm, let your photographer know! They do NOT want to do a session at your kid’s cranky time of day. Just remember though, you can’t get the pretty sunset glow at 10am. I say that in the nicest way possible but when I have clients that want the sunset look even though their pictures are in the morning due to kids’ schedules…I have to break their hearts because I am not a magician.

I love all of these outfits! (above & below!)

3. Outfits.
I am going to venture to say that this may be the hardest part of planning your family session. The more kids you have, the harder it may be! The same idea goes for family sessions, as it does engagement sessions. You want to COORDINATE, not all match! I say “all” because I do think it is cute if two little girls match, or two boys match. I just don’t want all of you in khaki’s and a yellow t-shirt, ya know?
The first person that I think should pick out their outfit is – – THE MOM! Shocking, right? Moms…you know you are probably the pickiest one, so choose what you want to wear first. Make sure you love it! Make sure you love how it fits, how it feels, and how it makes YOU feel! You will have enough to think about, you shouldn’t have to be worrying with being self-conscious, too. Make sure you feel beautiful. The worst is when a mom is telling me during a session how she feels ugly or fat or whatever. It makes me so sad!! No matter how many times I tell her that she looks beautiful, she is going to remember how she felt that day when she looks back at her pictures and I do NOT want it to be anything negative! So pick something that flatters you and makes you feel good THEN plan every one else’s outfits off of that. {Can I suggest a flowy dress? Because they are my FAVORITE and look amazing on just about everyone!? Also, who like pants with buttons these days & leggings are probably not appropriate for a picture session! Just sayin’.)
Do not be afraid of patterns! Patterns add texture and dimension to your photos, so I welcome them (except for tiny stripes or tiny plaids…they upset the camera). Even mixing patterns (insert a shocked gasp here!). I said it! The mom could wear a flowy dress with pinks, greens, & blues in it, while her son has a shirt with white & blue stripes on it. Now, don’t put everyone in different patterns but one or two works! Honestly, I usually put one person in our family in a serious pattern, and then assign each person a color from that pattern. Then we are all different but coordinating. Who knew picking outfits could be so complicated??! Oh yeah, ANY MOM WHO HAS HAD A FAMILY PICTURE SESSION!Both of these families (above & below) NAILED it with mixing patterns!  So impressed!

4. Prepare Your Kids
No, I am not about to tell you how to be a parent so don’t worry. I strongly suggest talking with your kids about their picture session multiple times, starting a couple days out. Hype it up! Make it sound super awesome! Pull out some family picture albums and talk about why we love to do these sessions. Point to the pictures on the wall (if you have any) and ask them if they like seeing those pictures up and would they want more? Hopefully they say “yes”, otherwise that just backfired. Most kids love pictures, especially of themselves. I know my kids do, so I tell them that we are taking pictures because Mommy loves their faces and wants more pictures of their faces on the wall. They agree, so it works!

5. Make It Fun!!
This is SO important! The last thing a kid wants to do is be put in different poses and fake smile for an hour! I don’t want to do it so I know a kid doesn’t! You have to allow them to have FUN! That means letting them make silly faces sometimes, or run around a little. Maybe even run around as a family because those pictures would be so cute! At every family session, I encourage the parents to just play with their kids. Talk to them, interact with them, toss them up & catch me (don’t forget that last part), tickle them, say something funny – whatever gives genuine smiles & laughter because THOSE pictures are my favorite…and probably yours too. I have 4 canvases on my wall in our home that have all 4 of us on them and only 1 actually has us looking at the camera. The other 3 are of us laughing at each other or hugging each other (still while giggling). I love it SO much! I promise you will, too! Also, the more relaxed and laid back you are, the more your kids will cooperate. I promise!

                         Those are my four main tips but I have a few others that don’t require much explanation so I will list them:
– Arrive 5-10 minutes early so your kids can get adjusted to their surroundings.
– Snacks. This is mainly for the itty bitty kids but puffs or goldfish can make them sit still 
 sometimes!
-Bribery – I am not above this so if you have to use bribery during a session, I will
support you! “We are getting ice cream afterwards if you do well during the
 pictures!” Oh yeah..every time.

The number one thing I want all families to do at their session is enjoy themselves! It is nothing to be upset or anxious over. Just relax, have fun together, and your pictures will be beautiful!

I hope this has been helpful for you! If so, let me know in a comment below!
What other tips or advice would you like to know from me??

XOXO

Caiti

Brittany & Josh Maternity Session 

The Flagg Family

The Reams Family