There are so many elements that go into planning for a professional portrait session. It can be so overwhelming thinking about what to wear, where to go and what to expect next from your photographer! So many decisions need to be made and I want to make that process easier for my couples and families. So, I thought it would be so amazing to start a new blog series for my lovely clients. In this new series, I’ll be sharing advice and tips on planning for the perfect photo session to ensure that the portraits we create are everything you envisioned before your shoot with me! If you’re joining me for the first time, you can catch up here:
Have you ever wondered what happens at a professional outdoor portrait session? Today I’m going to share my approach to a typical family session in an outdoor setting. While every session is completely different from the next, I start each portrait session with specific goals in mind, so that I can capture traditional photos along with the treasured candids that my clients come to expect!
My goals for each family session:
- Family photos in at least 3 different positions/locations
- A photo of each parent with each child
- Siblings together
- Each child individually
- Mom and Dad together (Usually, mom and dad haven’t had a professional photo together since their wedding!)
When clients first arrive, I have a quick chat for a few minutes and take some time to bond with the little ones. This often helps for the shyest member of the bunch to warm to me and my camera. Then, we move right into shooting family photos and having fun. I’ve been known to use just about any dance moves and silly games to get all eyes on the camera and the most authentic smiles out of little ones. After our photo walk around our location and a ton of laughs, its hugs all around for everyone as we end our session. At this point, I ask if there are any photo ideas that my family may have wanted and I haven’t captures as yet, then we say our good byes. If you’d like to know what to expect after the session you can visit my blog post here for more information.
In my next installment for this blog series, I’ll discuss what to wear for your portrait session!
