The Secret to Successful Family Photos
Do you want for family photos to look like these? Here’s how!
Family photos don’t have to be stressful!!! It can be a fun family activity that you ALL enjoy and look forward to! Whether your kids see the session as a good time or a chore is totally up to you. In my experience, if you want to make the most of your family session, you can do it with these simple tips.
Let’s start at the very beginning. Before you even show up to the session, there’s things you can do to help prepare your family for the best possible session. It’s all about how you talk to your kids. What do you think sounds better to a five year old: “Tomorrow we’re taking family photos; you better smile good and listen to everything the photographer says!” or “We’re doing something special tomorrow! We get to take photos together! We’re going to a beautiful park, and we’re gonna have so much fun!” Seems obvious right? Remove the pressure for perfection and have fun with it!
Outfits play a HUGE role in photos. It’s generally best to stray away from the exact matchy-matchy outfits and instead, go with color coordinated. This will help your photos look more natural and genuine. It’s also important to be mindful of comfort. Although we want to look clean and put together we also want to look comfortable and relaxed. If you ‘ typically wear heels, then stick with your favorite flats! If you have a kid (or husband) who HATES wearing jeans, then explore some other options! Wear clothes that are true to you!
The absolute best thing you can do for your family session is EMBRACE THE CHAOS! Most kids like to run around, be goofy, make jokes, so let them be themselves! Although we always want to get those classic smiley group photos, and we will, there’s something so special about pictures that capture your kids’ individual personalities! The right photographer will find prompts to keep your kids engaged, but no matter what, do your best to keep the energy light and fun!
At the end of the day, the goal of family photos is to capture this specific moment in time- who your family truly is right now. So I encourage you to let go of the pressure for perfection and just have fun!
