Top Tips For Your Best Family Photos Yet

It’s almost that time of year. The kids are about to head back to school, signaling the end of Summer and start of Fall. The mom’s pages will be filled with requests for family photographers before you know it and a lot of us have already started booking out through the end of the year. So, what do you need to know in order to make sure this year’s family photos are your best yet? I’ve got some tips for you.

First of all, do your research.

This may sound harsh, but 9 times out of 10, you get what you pay for. (I learned this the hard way this past Spring when my husband and I chose the least expensive painter to paint the interior of our new home. I won’t go into details, but let’s just say, lesson learned.) Professional photographers are those who are registered, insured, pay taxes, etc. and their rates will reflect that. We absolutely understand that most families have a budget in mind for family photos, and most of us try to keep that in mind when pricing our services, while also making sure we’re charging enough to stay in business. My top tip here? If you have a specific budget, include it when asking for recommendations or inquiring with different photographers, rather than asking for ‘affordable’ or ‘reasonably priced’ photographers, as those terms are really subjective and can vary widely depending on who you ask. Stating a specific budget will save you time from the start.

When deciding which photographer to book, it’s always important to do some digging and get to know them a bit. Ask what services are included for booking clients. There’s no right or wrong answer here, depending on what you’re looking for. Some people want to book a session as easily and with as little contact as possible, show up on the day of their session, and receive a digital gallery a few weeks later. Others are looking for more input in terms of styling their family, preparing for their session, and printing and framing images. Keep in mind too, that these services may vary depending on if you book a mini session or full session, as mini-sessions are much more high-volume and don’t always allow as much time to build those personal relationships.

Speaking of mini-sessions vs. full sessions, this is an important thing to research, too. Mini sessions can be great for families just looking for an updated portrait or two, but these sessions can often look entirely different from a regular session! Reasons for this include less hands-on session prep, time of day the session takes place, and the amount of time spent with each family. The longer you spend with your photographer, the more likely you are to receive truly authentic moments captured in your images. That’s not to say that you won’t receive great images if you a book a mini-session (I have plenty of go to prompts and poses to make sure you do) but the more time your photographer has to get to know your family, the more we’re able to make sure your gallery is completely unique to you.

Finally, social media pages and websites are a great place to see if you like a certain photographer’s style, but don’t stop there. Think about your own social media account- it’s full of the highlights, right? So is your photographer’s page. We can’t possibly post every single image we take, so we choose the best ones. That’s not a bad thing, it just means that what you see isn’t always what you get. If you really want to know what to expect, ask your photographer to send you a full gallery. Bonus points if the images in the gallery were taken at a similar time of day, similar time of year, and similar location as your session, because all three things can significantly impact how a final gallery may look. This is also important because it can help you envision what your gallery may look like. For example, I don’t post many traditional portraits on my social media pages because they don’t speak to me in the way that candid photos do, but that doesn’t mean I don’t deliver them to clients! Curious about what one of my full galleries looks like? Scroll to the end of this post to see one from last Fall.

Next, Give yourself plenty of time.

Like I mentioned above, a lot of photographers have already started booking out through the end of the year. Don’t wait until the last minute to reach out, especially if you have someone specific that you want to work with! It’s better to reach out early and be told booking hasn’t started yet than to wait until the last minute and find out they’re no longer taking clients for the year. Sure, come September or October we may still have some availability (especially those of us rebuilding in new markets ;)) and even if we don’t, we may be willing to squeeze you in (every year I say I won’t over book myself, and every year I have a hard time turning families down) but it’s not worth the risk!

Another thing you should give yourself plenty of time for? Styling your family. I hear again and again that this is the most stressful aspect of organizing family photos and I absolutely get it, but my number one tip for combatting this is to make sure you start pulling options together well in advance. Even if you plan to use clothing items you already own, don’t wait to try them on! There’s nothing worse that planning on having your kid wear an article of clothing they already own just to try it on the day of the session and realize they’re too big for it. Start purchasing and pulling options sooner rather than later to account for any unexpected changes you may need to make. This can also save you time in the long run, because it gives you plenty of time to make online-purchases (and returns. and second purchases…) rather than having to take the time to go shopping the week of your session. And, when in doubt? Ask your photographer for help. A lot of us include styling services within our packages!

I also recommend giving yourself plenty of the time the day of your session. I *thought* I had given myself plenty of time to get ready for my own family photos last Fall and learned the hard way that that wasn’t the case. The hour leading up to our session included me yelling at my daughter (I really try to adhere to the gentle parenting approach. Believe me when I tell you that on this day, I lost my sh*!), stress-induced sweating, and arguing with my husband. 10/10 would not recommend. My top tip here? However long you think you’ll need, double it. An hour to get ready? Give yourself two. 15 minutes to drive to the location? give yourself at least 25. Speaking from experience, it’s better to have extra time on your hands than it is to show up sweaty and cranky.

Finally, Trust your photographer

Trust that the professional you book won’t steer you wrong. If they give advice on clothing, there’s probably a reason for it. If they have specific locations or times of day they recommend shooting, chances are, there’s a reason for that, too. I promise that we want your experience and final images to be as amazing as you do. Everything we do is in an effort to make sure that happens. Are there some things that are out of our control? Of course, but if they’re out of our control, we can’t really do anything about them anyway, so better not to stress too much ahead of time (I know, easier said than done :))

My number one goal as a photographer is to make sure your session is as relaxed and fun as possible. You put in all the work ahead of time, so when you get to your session all we need you to worry about is enjoying your family. Don’t worry about how you look. Trust your photographer to give you posing tips throughout the session if they’re needed. Don’t worry about your kids’ behavior. Believe me when I tell you we’ve seen it all. Trust that we can and will redirect your kids’ attention if we need to. (Please, whatever you do, don’t yell at them during your session to get them to smile. This has worked never in the history of photography.) That being said, when in doubt, bribery never hurt. I’m a big fan of mini-marshmallows for younger kids, as they’re small and easily hidden, dissolve quickly, and won’t stain clothing or mouths. For bigger kids, the promise of ice-cream or pizza after the session usually does the trick.

If you want authentic, emotion-filled images, my number one tip is to be present in the moment. If your clothing or hair need fixed, I’m going to get up in your business and fix them. If your kid is losing steam, I’m going to find a way to re-engage them and let them lead the session. If the sun moves, or a pose isn’t working, I’m going to move you around. It’s not your job to worry about any of that. It’s your photographer’s. All we need you to do is trust that we’ve got you and love on your family.

As promised, below is a full gallery from one of last year’s holiday mini- sessions. Enjoy!