5 Tips to a Successful Family Photo Shoot

Family photos can be stressful events for all families. Trying to get the entire family together, happy, and smiling can be a challenge for even the most well behaved children. Here are a few tips that may help you and your family prepare for your photo session.

Tip 1: Location

When determining the best location for your photo-shoot first determine what kind of photo-shoot you want. Do you want your pictures to be candid or posed? Do you want your pictures on the beach, in the mountains, at the zoo, in your home, etc. Locations that are catered to the individual family are more personal, and more meaningful. Let your photographer know if there is a location that is special to your family or somewhere you would prefer to have your pictures taken.

Tip 2: Outfit

When deciding what to wear here are a few things to think about. First, where are your pictures going to be hung in the home? Knowing this may help you determine what colors to wear. Second, plan for the weather. Knowing what the weather is going to be before you plan your outfits will make it easier to decide what to wear. Sometimes the weather changes unexpectedly. In order to be prepared for these unexpected weather changes plan with some backup clothing items, such as a jacket for the cold or capris for the heat.

When selecting outfits Kristen Duke from Capturing Joy recommends picking 2-3 colors and adding neutral colors such as black, white and gray as freebies (Duke, 2016). Split up the colors so that there is variety in your images. Pictures where everyone is wearing the exact same thing tend to look more cheesy than those pictures with variety. Mom and Dad should wear different colors but should also have outfits that work well together. Layer and accessorize to add dimension to your images.

You can use www.polyvore.com to plan out your outfits.

Tip 3: Keeping kids happy

Choose a time of day when your kids will be well rested, happy, and fed before arriving at your photo-shoot. Plan a fun activity such as going out for ice cream that can act as a bribe and for well behaved kids. For some reason family pictures make some kids anxious and stressed. Encourage your children to be themselves instead of being critical of their poses. Don’t ask your children to “say cheese” as those images tend to be less natural.

Tip 4: Communicate with your photographer

Photographers may be good at taking pictures but they aren’t mind readers. It is important that you communicate with your photographer so that you understand each others expectations. Trust your photographer to get beautiful pictures by not hovering over him/her.

If you know your kids are not going to be able to handle a full length session, talk to your photographer about doing a mini session instead. Many photographers including Kristen Duke from Capturing Joy offer petite sessions (Duke, 2013).

Tip 5: Have Fun

In the end, you cannot plan for every little thing that may happen during a photo-shoot. Things go wrong, kids cry, it rains, etc. The most important thing for any photo-shoot is to have fun! Making memories with your family will always be more important than a handful of perfectly posed pictures. Chandra from Oh Lovely Day recommends trying not to focus on the result but to focus on enjoying the experience. (C., 2014).

Thanks so much for taking to read this post and I hope that these tips will help you in your next family photo-shoot.