Booked your session?
now what?
Here's what typically happens when families book a photography session. Mom books the session, tells dad he has no choice and its in 2 weeks. Mom spends hours combing through the whole family's wardrobe to find something that coordinates and she ends up the day before just going to the store to get all new outfits. She tells the kids the day before that they are going to have their pictures taken tomorrow and they need to be good. She practices their smiles with them and directs them how to open their mouth, tells them they are showing too much teeth etc. Day of the session, Dads grumpy cause he doesn't want to do it, mom spends hours doing everyone's hair, and they rush out the door to the location. When they get there everyone is now grumpy due to being rushed, told what to wear, how to wear their hair, and how to smile. During the session mom spends the whole time telling everyone how to smile, they better smile or they don't get their ipod back, etc. In the family shots mom is trying to corral everyone while still smiling so the result is she looks like she is talking through her teeth while smiling.
In the end, everyone is frustrated, mom is tired and disappointed, and sometimes the pictures show that.
So whether you book with me or not, take my advice here.
1. Don't tell the younger kids anything about the session. Don't tell them when it is, or even that you are doing it. If you need to tell them not to make plans for it, just say the family is going somewhere together and it will just take an hour or two. bottom line is kids don't care about pictures, and if they have had an experience like the one described above, chances are they won't be looking forward to it.
2. DO NOT PRACTICE THEIR SMILE. It is close to impossible to to teach a child how to smile naturally. It puts pressure on them, and the smile always looks like they are in pain. It is the photographers job to get a natural smile, its what you pay them for.
for example:
This smile was captured, not by telling the 4 year old to smile, but by me asking her exactly how bad does she think her mom smells. Its actually not even a smile, but a laugh. laughs make the best pictures.
And this one. This little stud was super hyper and had the most awkward smile(love you tiff!), and I knew from the moment I saw it that he best pictures were going to be ones where he was calm, and innocent. This picture was not captured by telling him to do a closed mouth smile, but by me explaining that a robot lives inside my camera and that if he looks right into the glass very closely, he MIGHT be able to see the robot blink.
So really, let your photographer work their magic. Hopefully you won't regret it.
3. Don't overdue the outfits and hair. You want your pictures to reflect your family, as they are in that period of time. If you 15 year daughter NEVER wears her hair up in a fancy updo with a cute diy hairband you found on pinterest, don't make her do it for pictures. Don't overdue the outfits so much that the focus is the clothes, and not the family.
4. Make it personal for everyone. Let them help you. Tell them you want them to help you find outfits that go together, and see what they like. You might be surprised that you actually like it, and it will reflect their personalities.
5. Always smile and look at the camera. I can't tell you how frustrating it is to go through all the photos from the day and how many shots there are where the whole family looks good, except mom is busy telling everyone to smile so her mouth is all the way open, she is usually blinking, and its just not good. Your job is to sit and look pretty. You should always be looking at the camera so that in those few frames where everyone else is looking at the camera, you are too.
6. RELAX!!! Don't stress about it. I know for me, as the photographer I want to make it a good experience, I get to know the family, each kid, let them run around for a bit, learn what things they like that might help me capture their personalities, etc. You've hired a photographer, get your moneys worth and let THEM stress about getting the pictures perfect, not you.
7. Get a helper. If you know your kids, and you know it will be hard for a total stranger to get their interest enough to laugh and look sweet, then ask a family member who they like to come with ya. This person usually stands right behind me and just does whatever they have to, to get the little ones to laugh and look my direction. I can't tell you how much of a help it sometimes can be.
8. Enjoy it. These are pictures you will look back on in 20 years, and if you enjoy yourself in the moment, you will see it in your pictures in 20 years.
hope this helps everyone! Let me know if you think advice in other areas would be helpful. :)
