Planning for your fall family session.
Here in Kansas the weather is starting to feel a bit cooler, most of the fields are harvested and pumpkin spice is once again lurking on all the menus, which brings me to fall family portraits!
Here are my top three reasons to update your family photos this fall:
Your kids are growing and changing like crazy. Don’t fool yourself, in a blink they will be grown and photos are the nearest thing I’ve found to bottling up time. How do I know? My baby just turned 7 and my oldest is 25…I tried hard not to blink.
Your family (think grandparents) will love photos of their children and grandchildren as a holiday gift. I offer custom designed albums and framing to make your gift giving even easier. Your gallery offers options for other photo gifts like calendars as well.
You can impress all your friends and family with your snazzy holiday cards that arrive in their mailbox in early December, instead of after the December Holidays. Or maybe I’m the only one who ends up sending out New Years or Valentine Card’s instead of Christmas cards? You can order your custom cards direct from your gallery, saving you more time!
Here’s a bonus reason! I always offer to do individual portraits at a family session, so if you’re needing an updated headshot for work or social media, once again I am saving you time and making it a one stop shop for you!!!
Now that we’ve settled that you need to book a family session, let’s discuss how to make your session beautiful and fun!
Let’s start with clothing:
Comfort is key to helping everyone feel relaxed! Dress for the weather, layer, and make sure things aren’t too tight or small. Check for tags, lace or other material that may be itchy and cause discomfort for the one wearing it.
Styling your family in clothing that compliments instead of competes will give your photos a more timeless and polished look. I suggest neutral colors, a variety of prints and solids and textures. You can find some ideas here. Don’t forget that layering helps add details and keep everyone more comfortable if the weather is chilly.
Make sure the tones you choose compliment your skin tones and don’t compete for center attention. Bright colors, like red, orange, green, etc will often throw a color cast on your skin. Keeping the tones similar in brightness and contrast will help to make the group central and not a single person. Ie: If everyone is in light tones but one person wears black or dark, that one person will stand out more.
When it comes to kids, kids will be kids, and I fully expect them to be loud, rowdy and ready to explore instead of stand and pose. I’m a mother of 8 kids, 5 of which are boys! I promise my kids have done everything and then some to embarrass me in public and make me eat all the words I ever uttered about how my kids will never do________. Keeping that in mind here are a few tips that will help them be ready for their session:
Make sure they have had a meal or snack. This goes for mom and dad as well. We all know what hangry is and that it doesn’t mix with happy photos! I also suggest bringing a few snacks just in case someone needs a little recharge.
Make sure everyone is rested. Try and not over schedule activities on the day of your session, so that everyone has time to relax and prepare.
Make sure everyone is healthy. Snotty noses make for messy sessions and children typically aren’t very happy if they aren’t feeling well. I am happy to reschedule sessions for illness.
Bring a favorite toy or lovie for little ones. If your child takes a Paci bring that as well. I want your child to feel as comfortable as possible.
Don’t expect your child to look at the camera for every photo. I have some tricks up my sleeve to get your children’s attention but I also want to capture some beautiful, candid moments.
Don’t try and get your child’s attention when I am working with them individually or with the other parent or siblings, as this causes your child to look towards you instead of towards the camera.
Now, breath a sign of relief and come to your session ready to have fun, let your kids be themselves and let me manage the chaos and create beautiful images of your moments.
If you’d like to know more about a family portrait session and see my current special click the book now button below.
…..because kids will be kids and laughter is good for the soul! Enjoy these outtakes from this family session.
