Family Photography
The Keys
to a good session
Your family session is coming up!
While you're patiently waiting for your photoshoot, we put together a few tips and advice to get the MOST out of your shoot, going into it much more confident and relaxed because you know what to expect!
Below are some pointers that Blake and I thought might help you to prepare for your engagement session, things like what to wear, how to pose, what to expect during and after your session and other frequently asked questions will be answered in this guide. Of course, if there is something that we don't cover here please don't hesitate to reach out!
What to Wear?
This is one of the questions that we get asked the most. It's a tough one to answer but from experience, I've found a few things that may help. Firstly, you should wear what you want to, something that makes you feel great and filled with confidence. Make sure you're comfortable and your clothes fit you well.
I suggest walking around your home where you plan to hang your photos and think and imagine what colors and patterns might accent your walls and furniture. What kind of a feel/vibe are you trying to create? You'll find numerous suggestions online for visual ideas on things that you're trying to imagine to give you a better idea of what it would look like.
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We encourage outfit changes! We've likely mentioned that we have a pop-up changing room that you are free to use to create some variety. One thing we see often that is a nice idea is one casual outfit and one fancy glamourous outfit for the darker more dramatic sunset shots.
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Please. Please, iron your clothes if they're wrinkled.
And if you have a fur baby, a lint roller might be needed too 😆
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If you plan to wear tall, gorgeous shoes, you will be aerating grass. Consider bringing along a pair of flip-flops so that you can walk around to different locations easier.
Remember to take the items out of your pockets!
Practice Posing
This is where it gets weird.
If you're someone really comfortable in front of the camera, this will be easy and maybe not necessary. Find your good angles, smile, and get used to yourself. If this seems like weird advice then you're likely not a photographer who has noticed that some people don't practice in front of the camera and don't realize they may not know what to do when the time comes to look at me and smile.
Put your hands in your pockets, on your hips, or your waist. Girls, work with your clothes, move your dress around and find your space. Guys, one great tip I've heard for you is to be your fiance's supporting arm, your job is to look at her like she's a million bucks and you just can't believe what you're seeing. Remember not to slouch and to be aware of your posture.
During your session Blake and I will position you both where we see an amazing background and put you in the general position we're going for. After we adjust our camera and light settings we'll tell you which direction to face and what to do. We do a style we refer to as 'intimate candid', and in order for this to work, we need you two to be close and for you to look natural. This doesn't come so naturally to everyone and so we very much suggest practicing being close and flirty before your session so that you can get the swing of things. You'll notice during your session that I tell you to get really close during your session, and then a little closer, this is because when your photos show even a little bit of space, the entire feel of the picture changes. I can tell you 100% that you are in control over how your photos will look by how well you can do this, look into each other's eyes and slow down. The more you two interact with each other the better your photos will come out. If you only go with the poses we put you in without the natural movement of you two then your photos may come out more 'posed' than you might have been hoping for. Blake and I will put you two into a position and float around back and forth to see where all of our great angles are at and to work with the lighting. We'll choose as many backgrounds as we can and put you in as many poses as we can that would fit your style in the time that we have available with you. Practicing posing beforehand will make your session easier and more relaxed because you will know what to do. By your session day, you will be pretty much a professional supermodel.
Pets & Props
We encourage you to be as creative with your session as you'd like, feel free to bring things like pets and items to use for your shoot. This helps to bring uniqueness and a personal touch to your photos and for things like save-the-dates and invitations. We usually suggest bringing a friend to watch your pet in between shots just so that you two can focus on your session and not your excited friend.
Relax & Have Fun!
Guys, this one is super important. RELAX. Sometimes people can get nervous before a session because there's a lot of anticipation and emotions or thoughts may be high. Remember to relax, give yourself plenty of time and space that day so that you're not overwhelming each other and your session will go much more smoothly. Have fun and be yourselves, we'll probably get along great and you'll really enjoy your session and the photos that you get out of it.
Inspiration Photos
See a gorgeous pose that you'd love me to replicate? Send it over! This offends some photographers but I tend to look at this differently than most. I need to know what you're wanting if you have something specific in mind. Any time I photograph I have a general idea of what my plan is and a list of what I think would fit you specifically, and I come up with new ideas as I see different angles and options,. If there is something that you're wanting please don't feel weird to send it my way, I don't mind.
What about the
Weather?
This has happened before a few times and so we think it's something to prepare for. We can't control the weather, I've tried- it doesn't work. If you're getting close to your session and you're seeing clouds roll in, know that you have a few options. If it's raining, we can still keep shooting in the rain. Not ideal but we can get creative and make some cool stuff work. This is sometimes a must for those of you coming from out of state for a specific session. Blake and I are usually really lucky and we get pockets of clearings at the perfect times. Know that even if we need to reschedule to the next available date to get more ideal weather that we can make that happen, so no worries on the weather.
Getting your Photos
The hard part is over. You've done your session, you know that it went awesome, and now you want to see what it all turned into! We've probably already chatted about most of this, but here is what your post-session experience will look like. Your photos will be delivered to an online digital gallery in about 30-45 days. Your gallery will be loaded with all of your final cut and edited pictures where you have the option of downloading the whole thing or just single photos, as well as sharing to your social media networks. You'll also have access to our print-shop where you'll be able to see what some of your favorite photos would look like on the wall, as well as browse through our highly customizable save-the-dates, invitations, and many others.
So there you have it, everything that I could think of to prepare you for your photo-shoot. As I mentioned, please reach out if you have anything that you'd like to go over, we'd love to chat!
See you Soon!
