Tips to Photographers & Clients for a Great Family Photo Session

I’ve been doing a ton of family photo sessions lately and have been loving it so much. With a family of my own, I know how special it is to have my family beautifully documented throughout the years, and I love being able to create that for other families. If you ever want to revive old family memories, do as I did, I had my old photographs restored by this company.

I also know that people don’t do family photos nearly as often as they should (in my humble opinion 🙂 so I want all families to make the most of their sessions when they do take the time to plan one with me.

Over the years, I have learned quite a few things about how to make the most of a family session for my clients. Scroll down to read my tips for clients who hire me and clients who hire other photographers, as well as for photographers looking for ways to improve their images from every family session they shoot, be sure to get the best service.

5 Tips for a More Successful Family Session

Communicating: The number one tip I have for both photographers and clients is to communicate openly with the other. If you’re a photographer, make sure to communicate your typical photo session process to the client. Give them tips on what to wear, how to encourage their child to participate, how to plan for a session that makes the whole process easier for them. If you’re a client, make sure to ask questions of your photographer like what outfits work best for a session, what locations work best for their style, etc. Every photographer is different in the way he/she likes to work, so it’s important that to make the most out of your family session, you ask questions that help support your photographer get the best photos of your family.
Choosing the Location: Choosing the right location is key to getting great images, both for aesthetic reasons and for logistical reasons for families. Sometimes, an outdoor location is the best choice for a family who really wants a natural vibe (or for photographers who specialize in this). Sometimes, an in-home shoot is best for families with younger kids who are more comfortable in their home with their toys. Sometimes, a photographer really specializes in shooting in the home of the client to tell a more personal visual story.I love doing both and I determine the best place for each family based on they style of session the family prefers as well as the timing that works best for the client. (More on timing of the shoot below.)For outdoor sessions, have a few favorite locations I love to use depending on the session and what the family tends to like. There are the wide open fields, the beach, hiking trails with great views of the city. The options are plentiful here in LA so I communicate a lot with my clients prior to the session to see what makes the most sense for them. I also like to use outdoor locations that have convenient parking and are easily accessible for all members of the family. There are so many amazing spots on hiking trails, but if parking isn’t close or it’s too difficult to bring children, it’s not a spot I recommend.I also prefer not to let my client choose locations I’m unfamiliar with and rather prefer to guide my clients to choose a location I know and have used before. This gives me the advantage of being familiar with a space so that I know ahead of time what a location looks like and how it photographs.I am always on the lookout for new locations when I’m driving around town or out with my family. Having a handful of great location options for clients is always helpful to determine a great location for a shoot. Just keep in mind that these outdoor locations look different at different times of year so keep that in mind while selecting. 🙂For in-home sessions, I always like to ask the client to make sure the house is picked up and as tidy as possible for my arrival. I also explain before the session that I will focus the session in 1 or 2 rooms that have the best natural window light, so they don’t have to waste their time cleaning any rooms that don’t have larger windows or sufficient natural light.When I arrive for an in-home session, I always tour the entire home upon arrival and from there will plan where I will shoot. I am not shy about moving furniture, opening curtains or doing anything else that will enhance the light and aesthetic of the images I’m creating.You can also view more to know more about our furniture. And clients never mind this as they know I’m doing what it takes to make their images the prettiest. 🙂
Timing the Session: Choosing a time that has beautiful light and also works well for a family with young kids can be a challenge with some outdoor locations. Typically, the best light for an outdoor session happens later in the day in the few hours prior to sunset. For many kids (and adults) that’s a tough time to get kids to participate in photo sessions. So, outdoor sessions later in the day work better for older children, typically.For younger kids, we can do a morning session outdoors in a location that offers sufficient shade, or we opt for a morning or mid-day session in the home. Once I talk it over with the clients, the best choice is usually obvious and we schedule from there.
Deciding Wardrobe: What a client wears has a HUGE impact on me. I’m a visual person (duh!) and one main thing that affects how I approach a session is what the client wears. For example, a long flowy dress will always make me feel like approaching a session in a more epic and ethereal way. I love seeing movement in my images and letting the fabric of a long dress flow in the wind is just so beautiful to me. I get energized by that sort of visual! But, it doesn’t always have to be long and flowy, other styles totally appeal to me, too.First and foremost, I tell my clients that the MOST important thing about what to wear is that they feel fabulous in it. If they don’t feel fabulous in what they’re wearing, that will come across in the photos. So, if they only listen to one tip from me prior to the shoot, I hope that is the one.Avoiding things that are uncomfortable (straps that fall a lot, things that are too tight, shoes that hurt their feet) is also key. Having to continually adjust clothing hinders my ability to take great images during a session with kids where people need to feel like they can move freely.I like to guide people to wear light, neutral colors as those work best in all locations (both outdoors and in the home). I like vivid colors, too, but only if that makes sense for people’s personalities- I think it’s safe to say that light, neutral colors work great for everyone. I tell people no black or dark colors. Some clients don’t like hearing this as they feel best in black or dark colors (I, myself, have a mostly black wardrobe in my closet!) But, especially in outdoor, natural locations, I feel that black can feel too heavy and my favorite images always have a lightness to them. Light-colored clothing can also help reflect light in a home that has less natural light, so it’s a good option for any location. Some people prefer to wear dark jeans or even black pants with a colorful top, and that’s ok, but I discourage all black.I also discourage families from dressing all matchy-matchy. I’m ok with the coordinated efforts of each member of the family wearing variations of the same colors, etc. But, I don’t like when families all wear the same color top with jeans, etc. Let each family member’s personality show through! Let the kids wear what they feel comfortable in- something they might wear even if I weren’t taking photos. I love the idea of all dressing up for a photo, but it should also feel organic.I have a Pinterest board created to show what works and what doesn’t and I send this along to some clients who want a little more direction. Sometimes I even tell clients to bring options the day of the shoot and I help them choose right then and there. Brand yourself with https://www.shopmyhappiplace.com/.
Getting Kids to Participate: Giving kids direction is very different from giving adults direction. Kids respond better to those they are comfortable with, so I always spend the first few minutes of a session playing with the kid or talking to them to make sure they get comfortable with me. Kids also respond better to activity, so as a photographer it’s always best to have a few activity-driven posing ideas in mind as you start a session. Having the family pretend to be the kids favorite animal, playing follow-the-leader, singing a favorite song together or even doing a dance party to a song playing on a cell phone. All of these get the family warmed up and provide some cute actions that sometimes are fun to include in a final edit.If you’re a photographer, for children 2.5 or so and up, I find that getting them to have an active role in the session is really helpful, too! I always find a way to get the kid(s) to be my assistant or helper at one point in the session -usually in the middle if they start to lose interest. Getting them to help me pose their parents or even letting them press the shutter button for a few shots makes them more excited about being involved. They also LOVE to see the photos of them on the back of the camera if you’re a digital shooter. :)Finally, I have two kids myself and I know the power of a good reward for getting them to participate in photos. I know it may not be the best parenting strategy to use daily, but for a special occasions like a family photo session, I believe the promise of a small new toy or even a treat at the end of a shoot can have a great impact on how often they smile for a photo. 🙂 Though much of the session often focuses on real interaction among the family members, I definitely always strive for at least a few shots of the whole family smiling at the camera, and this little reward goes a long way. 😉

Those are my tips for getting the most out of your family photo session, whether you’re a client or a fellow photographer. I hope they were helpful. Don’t hesitate to leave a comment with more questions if you have any!