The alarm goes off - It’s Saturday morning, and it’s family picture day. You wake everyone up and tell them to get ready. Groans echo down the hall as someone yells “I hate pictures!” Everyone is grumpy at breakfast, someone spills syrup on their new shirt, and then you’re ten minutes late because you had to wash out the stain. In frustration you herd everyone into the car and snap at them to be quiet as you text the photographer “Sorry, running behind. Be there soon.” You finish your makeup in the car mirror as you sternly remind the kids of your expectations – “Smile, behave, listen to the photographer, don’t get your clothes dirty, and ACT LIKE YOU LOVE EACH OTHER!” You get to the park and everyone glumly exits the minivan so you can get a new profile picture that makes you look like a big, happy family.
Hopefully a story like that has never happened to you! But unfortunately a lot of people equate “Family Pictures” with a scenario like that. However, your photos don’t have to be that way.
Over the years I’ve learned a couple tips and one huge mindset change that can help your family photoshoot go from “I hate this” to “That was actually fun!”
(Before you get to your session, check out these posts if you’d like some additional tips on how to choose a photoshoot location and plan outfits!)
FOUR TIPS TO HELP YOU ENJOY YOUR PHOTO SESSION:
1. Work Together as a Couple
Usually one spouse cares too much about photos and one cares too little. (This doesn't always match stereotypes - I’ve had dads who were way too concerned about their hair!)
Try to identify your tendencies together and support one another before and during the shoot. A “cares too much” person bossing everyone around and a “cares too little” person being visibly disinterested are both destructive to a shoot. And when both types of people are acting accordingly, that just triggers the other even more!
Whatever your tendency is, try to intentionally relax or engage in the shoot. Then you’ll both enjoy it more (and so will the kids!)
2. Allow for family input and individualism
Try to give family members a voice in photoshoot decisions like what to wear or how to pose. If kids, teens, or spouses are forced to wear or do something uncomfortable, they will probably resist it or look disgruntled.
Obviously you can't let a child make every decision about those things (they might all show up in pajamas or glare in every photo!) But look for ways to let them express their individuality in an acceptable way instead of forcing them to be something else.
3. Plan a reward system
I’m not a big fan of bribing children, but there’s a difference between a bribe and a reward! A healthy reward system can make photoshoots much more enjoyable.
This will probably look different depending on the age of your kids. It may be as simple as bringing gummy bears for them to snack on during the photos, or it may be as big as planning the photo session around an activity (like getting ice cream or going to a theme park after the pictures are done).
By implementing a healthy reward system like this, you can turn a short photoshoot into a fun day that everyone looks forward to and remembers as a positive family memory.
4. Trust the photographer
Each family session is different because each family, location, and lighting scenario are different. While you can get inspiration from other pictures, coming in with expectations based on another family or photo can lead to frustration and disappointment.
Don’t feel bad about showing some inspiration to your photographer or requesting a retake if something wasn’t how you wanted it! But also let your family be themselves and trust your photographer to capture authentic photos of your family in your actual situation. (Make sure you like your photographer’s editing style too, that way you can trust them to edit your photos and not be surprised by their final product!)
5. Let kids be kids
I'm a firm believer that YOUR PHOTOS should look like YOU! That's why I try hard not to do awkward poses during any of my sessions - I don't want your pictures to show you as something you're not. But on the flip side of that, I also don't want pictures to prevent you from being something that you are!
While there is a certain level of order necessary for photos, the beauty of family sessions is capturing the unique chaos of each family. If your kids are doing something bizarre, that's fine - you'll have photos to embarrass them with forever, and you'll get the last laugh. So let everyone BE themselves - it will help everyone ENJOY themselves!
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING - SWITCHING PRIORITIES
Some of those steps might sound kind of difficult to do (especially if your tendency is to care too much), so let me share one big mindset change with you that drives each of those steps and made family pictures more fun for me personally.
Every year on vacation I use my tripod to take our family photos. The first couple times we did this, my wife and I got frustrated because it was difficult to get the perfect photos we both wanted. But then one day we realized we were missing out on what the photos were all about. We were supposed to be capturing good memories together, but instead we were creating bad memories because of our desire for perfection.
After noticing this problem, we made a mental switch to begin prioritizing GOOD MEMORIES over PERFECT PHOTOS. When we made that switch, we started enjoying family photos a lot more. And guess what? We got better pictures!
It’s easy for family pictures to become focused on perfection because family photos are an investment. You’re spending a lot of time and money on these, so they had better be good!
But if the goal is perfect photos, everyone will be miserable as the people who care too much try to control the people who don’t care enough.
However, if the goal is to make good memories, you can do that even if your baby starts crying, your teen won’t smile, or your kids are jumping up and down.
The absolute best family photo shoots I’ve done are the ones where people relaxed and simply focused on making good memories no matter what happened. And the absolute worst family photo shoots I’ve done have been the ones where grandma was screaming at the kids to behave because she wanted the photos to be perfect.
So as you prepare for your family photos, pick a talented photographer (hopefully that’s me!), choose a beautiful location, and plan some great outfits. But at the end of the day, make good memories your goal (even if everyone isn’t perfect).
If you focus on that, I think your photos will actually turn out really, really good!
INTERESTED IN BOOKING A SHOOT?
If you haven't scheduled a shoot yet but you're looking for a family photographer in the McDonough area, take a look at my tips for choosing a photographer that fits your family! I would be honored to be that person for your family, and if you'd like to book a session with me you can use this link to contact me.
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