Getting family pictures you love can be difficult. You put together perfectly coordinated outfits, perfect the hairdo on your squirming toddler, and somehow manage to free up a two-hour timeslot on the family calendar only to be disappointed with the canned expressions captured. Or perhaps despite all of your best preparations your kids refuse to cooperate and you leave with nothing more than grouchy smirks, tearful tantrums, and a raging headache.
We’ve all been there. (Some of us have even been there more than once!) And while there is no sure way to guarantee a great picture session, there certainly are a few tips that can help you get good pictures and keep your sanity at the same time. Here’s how:
Tip 1: Pick a photographer based on style not status.
It’s much more important that you like the photographic style of your pictures than pay for a lofty name or brand photographer. Look at a variety of photography and identify what speaks to you. Do you love casual pictures of my kids playing and laughing, or do you prefer more formal posing and props? You’ll never be happy with posed studio photography if spontaneous pictures are what you truly want.
Tip 2: Share your goals with your photographer.
This tip goes right along with tip 1. It’s much easier for someone to give you exactly what you want if they have a clear definition of what you want. Express your vision if you have something particular in mind. Yet be sure and allow for the photographer’s own creative vision as well. They are, after all, professionals in their own right and often the best pictures are pleasant accidents resulting from creative freedom.
Tip 3: Relax!
Children are sponges. If you are stressed and irritable than chances are your children will be too. (This goes for husbands/fiancés/teens as well folks!) Before a picture session, try to keep things unhurried, fun, and as normal as possible. Let everyone acclimate to the location if it’s new and give them some space to play/relax and just be themselves before you start directing them into poses. You’ll both be a lot happier and your pictures will show it!
Tip 4: Timing is everything.
Just as a photographer needs to coordinate the session to the best lighting of the day, you need to coordinate the session to the best time of day for your kids. This can be tricky when you have a full schedule, but it is well worth the effort. Make sure you are all rested, fed, and unrushed. The hour between soccer practice and dinner is not the time for a photo session.
Tip 5: Be prepared but not a perfectionist.
Iron those clothes, fix the fly-away hair, and make sure everyone is there on time, but then step back. Perfectionism is the photographer’s job, not yours. This frees up your energy, helps keep the session moving, and creates a better creative environment overall.
Are you ready to experience a photography session you’ll love? Contact Trinity Moore Photography here and let me capture the beauty in your family that others might have missed!
