5 Things Your Family Photographer Wants You to Know

It’s the day of your family photo session. You’ve scoured the web looking for a family photographer who fits your style, matches your price point, and looks like an overall great fit. You’re still unsure what everyone is going to wear, the kids are a ball of energy, and your husband is complaining about having to take photos…again.

Sound familiar?

I know exactly how you’re feeling. Family photos can be stressful. You know you want them done, but the process can be frustrating.

Look, I get it. I have been in your shoes and have felt the same exact way.

But it doesn’t have to be that way!

Here are 5 things your family photographer wants you to know to set your photo sessions up for success:

I’ve seen it way too many times. A family shows up and they are ALL wearing the same exact color.

Don’t Match

To many people, this sounds great! Matching seems like a smart thing to do and makes a lot of sense in people’s heads.

I’m here to tell you that you do not want to all match each other.

I always encourage my mom’s to pick out what they are most comfortable in and feel the most beautiful in first and have the rest of the family coordinate with her. I love encouraging family’s to wear soft colors (think dusty pink instead of bright pink, sage green instead of bold green, light grey instead of black, dusty blue instead of bright blue, etc.)

The key here is to coordinate your outfits instead of matching them.

So if mom decides to wear a dusty blue colored dress, dad could wear a sage green button up shirt with khakis, and the kids could wear navy blue and light tan.

Coordinating your outfits is going to look so great on camera compared to matching colors. Just think about what colors look great together, and you’ll be off to a good start!

PS – I have a style guide to help you! Just ask me for it 🙂

You Don’t Need to Look at the Camera

I think a common misconception about having your photo taken is that you should always be looking and smiling at the camera.

That couldn’t be further from the truth! Many of my favorite photos are when all family members are looking at each other and laughing or having a quiet moment with each other and forget the camera is even there.

This is when I get the most sincere, genuine smiles! I love capturing moments that make parents say “you really captured everyone’s personalities so well!”

That’s my job! I try to make each person feel comfortable in front of my camera. If you’re having a good time, that’s going to translate into beautiful photos. Trust me! You’ll also leave the session feeling relieved (dads especially haha!)

Kids Will Be Kids

Even the most well behaved kids will have outbursts or be stubborn and not want to take photos. That’s just how this season of life goes.

I want you to know that this is totally normal and I expect it at every session! The last thing I’m doing is judging you as parents. I’m quite literally in the same boat as you. As I type, I have a crazy toddler jumping on the bed next to me and throwing all of the pillows off.

I know when I have a family session that kids will need breaks, babies will need to eat, husbands are probably underwhelmed, and mamas might be stressed to the max. That’s why I try to make things fun and quick!

Please don’t stress about your kids being perfect angels. And like I mentioned before, they don’t need to look at the camera and smile! Often times, I’ll start the session with the “everybody smile at the camera” so we at least get a couple of those “mantle pieces” while everyone is still cooperative. But honestly, the candid ones we get after that are going to be so much better. Kids don’t have to do anything but be themselves!

Can’t You Just Edit That Out?

This one can be a touchy subject.

Sometimes, if a family picks out their own location for the session, it can be less than ideal in terms of what is in the background.

For example, I’ve been to a session where there was a big ugly building off in the background so I’ve had to adjust where the family stands for the photos, ensuring that it wasn’t in the photos. And I’ve been met with a “Can’t we just take them here and you can quick edit all that stuff in the background out?”

Most of the time it’s just an innocent question that I can politely explain why I’d choose somewhere else. And most times, everyone is really understanding!

Other times, I’ve been met with a lot of frustration and irritation.

Editing things out can sometimes be super straightforward and easy. Other times, it is nearly impossible or a lot of extra work.

Please trust your family photographer if she tells you that you’d be better off in a different location. There’s probably very good reasons why and you’re going to love your photos more if you trust her!

Lighting. Lighting. Lighting.

One of the absolute most important aspects of family photography is getting the lighting just right!

I could have the most beautiful family in the most gorgeous location, but the sun is shining right in their faces – the photos are going to look pretty terrible!

Having shadows or spotty sunlight on faces is no good. Having the sun directly in eyes is definitely no good!

A family photographer will always be looking for that soft, even light where families are going to look their best. That type of light is going to be found about an hour or two after sunrise and about an hour or two before sunset. That’s why it’s often called “the golden hour.” This timing ensures the sun isn’t directly overhead and beating down. You’re going to get the absolute best photos during these small windows.

So if your family photographer suggests a super early time or later than you’d like – just understand there’s definitely a reason why! But if these times interfere with nap times, we can always find some shade in the middle of the day too. No perfect lighting is going to make up for an extra fussy, tired baby!