Starting with movement

One of the best ways to help my clients be comfortable in front of the camera (almost everyone feels a litttttle awkward) is by incorporating lots of movement. An easy prompt to start with is having my clients walk away together and walk towards me. Sometimes I will tell my clients to hip bump, have everyone make an animal noise, or even play red light green light- I study my pre-session questionnaire and have the most suitable prompts for my family's personalities and ages.

Updated Sibling Portraits

I have a certain amount of posing combos that I always get- one of the most important being sibling photos and of course individual images of each child. I picture them, all grown up, looking at the images and reminiscing about that phase of their childhood.

Incorporate an activity into your family photo session

A fun way to get variety in your gallery AND to have your family enjoy itself is planning an activity, or even a snack. I love when seasonal items like these donuts and apple cider were incorporated. I have the family bring the food and I provide the props- blankets, picnic baskets- I will have it all set up before your arrival into a perfectly curated spot.

Couples Photos during your session

I will ALWAYS ask mom and dad if they want to have photos inter session. So many couples will tell me that these are the first images of them as a couple SINCE THEIR WEDDING (not ok!!!!!). It gives the kiddos a break too, which is a bonus.

Looking as your family photoshoot as quality time

One of the BEST things you can do, is not to look at your photoshoot as only a photoshoot. This is special and intentional time as a family. I encourage my clients to think of their shoot and creating a time capsule to look back on many years down the road. The best thing you can do is just be yourself and stay as relaxed as possible. Leave the phones in the car and really, really focus on your family. Life goes by so fast and we are all so busy- we need moments where we really savor the stage we are in. I am here to help you do that and to also have priceless photos to walk away with.

Getting Creative

We had finished the session and this family still wanted to go to a look out point at the park. I decided to tag along and see how I would be inspired. These images turned out to be my favorites of the session. There is something about them that evokes whimsy to me.