PREPARING FOR A FAMILY PHOTOSHOOT

If you’ve scheduled a family photoshoot, you may feel stressed by the pressure of planning for it so that the pictures turn out great!

Some families are “photoshoot veterans” - taking family photos is a yearly tradition that everyone is well acquainted with and knows their role in.

For others, having family pictures taken is something they only do every once in a while. If that's you, you may have questions as you try to maximize this opportunity and make a rare occurrence be successful!

Here are a couple suggestions I have when it comes to preparing for a family photoshoot.

What location should you choose?

When picking a location for any type of portraits, I encourage people to match venue with vibe. In other words, pick a place that fits your family’s personality.

Here are a couple general vibes you could choose from:

• Urban - Downtown square or city streets

• Rural - Wooden fence, field with tall grass, a body of water, trees, etc.

• Lifestyle - Your own home or yard

You may be a classy family that wants urban style photos, or you may be a country family that wants your pictures in a grassy field. Or maybe you'd like photos done on your family's farm or at the beautiful house you built yourself. Wherever you choose, your pictures will look better when they look like you!

The time of year definitely plays a big part in choosing a location as well since what time the sun sets/rises, what color the leaves are, and what temperature it is outside all factor into what the photos will ultimately look like.

There’s no “right” or “wrong” location - it ultimately comes down to just your preference! If you need help with finding a place that suits your family, I have several recommendations I can give that fit a variety of family vibes.

What outfits should your family wear?

If you’re a Pinterest mom, chances are you’ve been pinning inspiration for weeks and don’t need help with this! But some people aren’t quite sure what to wear for their photos.

I encourage families to coordinate in their photos rather than match.

When everyone wears jeans and the exact same striped button-up from Belk, it can look cheesy (in my opinion). Instead, try to choose a coordinating color wheel or complementing patterns that match your season, location, and family vibe.

When picking the intensity of your colors, consider how they will look with your family’s skin tones, the season you’re in, and the background of where the photos are being taken.

Bright colors (like red and purple) can be a good choice to make the images really “pop” (especially in the fall) but they can also be harder for the photographer to edit since they sometimes interfere with skin tones. More muted colors (like tan or white) can be easier to edit, but may seem more “boring” if there isn’t an interesting background. And of course you don’t want your colors or patterns to clash with the background either, so keep that in mind as well!

Similar to picking a location, there is no right or wrong decision here – it really comes down to fitting your family’s preference and what you want the edited images to look like.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING:

Overall, these decisions are important elements of a photoshoot, but they are not the MOST important element. The most important thing, in my opinion, is that your family has FUN during the photo session! In order for that to happen, there is one big mindset change I had to learn that completely altered how enjoyable family photos were for me personally.

If you’ve got young kids that don’t particularly love standing still or a spouse/teens that hate pictures, read this post about how you can make family picture day a fun experience.

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.