Step 1 – Be perfect.
Are you rolling your eyes? You should be. No family is perfect. Even supermodel parents with 500K Instagram followers have kids who throw tantrums, vomit on the way out the door, and refuse to wear the designer boots you picked out to perfectly match their photo day outfits.
Instead, to have a perfect family photo session, aim to be perfectly you. I’m not saying you should show up in pjs and workout clothes, but find that happy medium between those and the jeans your child never wears in real life. The more you fight with your child (or spouse) going into the session, the more frustrated everyone will be before it even starts.
Step 2 – Be realistic.
Photo days are stressful. And inevitably, you’ll get a pimple, or your child will get a bruise, or you won’t sleep the whole night before. If you have young children, you/we will be jumping through hoops to get them to smile and cooperate. And sometimes/often they won’t. And lord, this is why I haven’t done mini-sessions in over ten years because they just create the added stress of a time limit when a lot of kids (and parents) need time to relax in front of the camera. How do you relax when another family in the parking lot is tapping their toes and checking their watches? I can’t.
Step 3 – (For those with young’uns) Do your session before nap time.
If your child naps around 10 a.m., don’t schedule your session for noon… or any time after that really. They will inevitably refuse to nap that morning. They KNOW. Believe me, I’ve been photographing families for 14 years. Only 1 out of every 10 toddlers actually nap on photo day. It’s amazing how much they can pick up on your tension, and kids don’t relax when parents are stressed. Life would be way too easy then. LOL.
Your best bet is to get everyone out of the house and to the photographer before nap time. Does that sound impossible? Getting everyone dressed, hair and makeup done, breakfast eaten, coffee drank before 10 a.m? Yes, well, that’s because you’ll have to get up extra early. Remember Step 2. And get some help.
Step 4 – Ask your spouse and/or family members for help.
For the love of God, do not expect one person to get everyone ready. At least one adult (usually Mom) will have already spent hours picking out everyone’s outfits, and odds are she’ll need an hour to do her own hair and makeup. Spouses, please offer to feed the kids, give them baths, iron their clothes. Anything at all to make the prep time go more smoothly. There’s nothing worse than a spouse sitting around while Mom runs around in a frenzy. Step up. The more you help, the less stressed everyone is and the better the photos.
Also, grandparents are always welcome at my sessions, and they make for great smile-makers when they’re not in the photos themselves.
Step 5 – Don’t try to replicate another family’s photos.
I have clients who send me Pinterest photos (thankfully, they’re usually my own) and say they want the same photo of their family. Here’s the truth. I’ll never be able to perfectly replicate another photo. Sure, we can do a similar pose, but every family fits together differently. The lighting will never be exactly the same. The foliage changes every day. The distance between you and the camera won’t be exact. Even the colors you choose impact the feel of your resulting images (just take a look at all of these on this blog post!).
It’s okay to send me photos (especially my own), but please understand we’ll only be able to capture something “like” those other images, never the same thing. Besides, usually it’s the emotion of the images you were drawn to, and that comes with being yourselves instead of trying to be another family. Someday, other families will be sending me YOUR perfect family photo session images to replicate!
Step 6 – Brush your teeth. Iron your clothes.
You’d be surprised how many people don’t do these two simple things. I’m still surprised by this.
Step 7 – Pack snacks.
For everyone. Food is comforting and will put even the grumpiest of people in a better mood.
Step 8 – Go with it.
If your toddler wants to run ahead when you’re all trying to walk together. If you daughter insists on bringing her stuffed bear or lovey. If your son won’t face the camera (it’s happened). If they refuse to wear shoes. Go with it. (I mean, don’t let them run around without pants, but you get the idea). The addition of the crazy orange boots or the tutu or whatever will make for a great story, and you’ll all have way more fun!
For our last family photo session, I packed everyone’s photo outfits except mine and had to run to the mall for a new dress. I ended up getting one a size too big, then spent an hour curling my hair, and the humidity flattened it right away when we got to the beach. Then it started pouring. I was in such a foul mood. I looked at my family, they looked at me, and I said, “Go with it.” We’ll treasure these photos forever.
Here are a few more perfect family photo sessions from this past year. In all my sessions above and below, I challenge you to find the time(s) when we decided to just go with it. They’re not so hard to find, and I’m sure they’ll bring a smile to your face.
Check out more of my photos on my Pinterest page. Ready to schedule your perfect family photo session? I only have a few dates left in 2022! Check out my availability.
