8 Tips For Getting Family Photos Taken

getting your family photos taken is something that is so exciting, but can turn stressful in a second!  you want everyone to be wearing the right clothes and behaving properly, all the while looking great in the pictures.  having been a lifestyle family photographer for a few years, i am always the one behind the camera instead of in front of it.  so when my husband and a decided to have courtney slazinik of click it up a notch take our portraits last fall in celebration of getting pregnant, it was a little different for me to be the subject instead of the photographer.  being in front of the camera taught me a lot about what my clients experience and, having experienced getting family picture done, i now have 8 tips for getting family photos taken.

need some help deciding what to wear in your pictures?  check out my 10 ideas for what to wear for family photos.

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8 Tips For Getting Family Photos Taken

8 Tips For Getting Family Photos Taken | bethadilly photography

all of the photos in this post were taken by the beautifully talented courtney slazinik of click it up a notch.

1. Trust Your Photographer

being in front of the camera can be a little nerve wracking!  and for me, i would rather be behind the camera telling people what to do, than to be in front of it.  when getting family photos taken, remember that is is natural to feel a little nervous and embarrassed at the beginning of the session.  everyone feels the same way, it’s normal!  knowing this, trust your photographer and know that he or she will help you through the process.  because they are behind the camera and can see the photo as a whole, your photographer will tell you when to move your arm or tilt your head just a bit more.  relax and trust that they will help you look great.  the key word being: relax.  if you feel stressed inside, you will look stressed in your photos.

need some help getting your clients comfortable in front of the camera?  check out my 8 tips for photographing natural family photographs.

2.  Think Through Your Wardrobe

many people don’t realize how much their clothing choice affects the style and tone of their photos.  think about how you want your photos to feel and look, then base your clothing choices around those concepts.  if you are looking for exciting and vibrant images, your clothing choices will probably include bright colored clothing.  for me, i like my photos to match my home decor so that they naturally flow on my walls.  because my home is more soft and neutral, i choose to base our wardrobe around more neutral tones.  when in doubt, look around your home for style inspiration.

8 Tips For Getting Family Photos Taken | bethadilly photography

3.  Schedule Around Behavior

if you have children, be sure to schedule your session for a time when your children tend to be on their best behavior, like after a nap or in the morning.  scheduling a session during a time when your child normally naps or during a time of day when they are generally more tired isn’t the best idea, as you will be combating behavior throughout your entire session.  yes, most photographers love to schedule photos to be taken during golden hour, which is an hour after sunrise or an hour before sunset.  the reality is…those times of day aren’t the best for every child and some children aren’t at their best during those times.  think of it this way, if you are going to spend money hiring a photographer and buying new clothes, schedule your session for a time when your children are the happiest.  there is no use spending all of that money and doing all that planning to have cranky kids in your pictures.

8 Tips For Getting Family Photos Taken | bethadilly photography

4.  Don’t Overbook Your Session Day

on the day of your session, be sure you don’t make too many additional plans.  keep the day relaxed so you don’t wear out your children nor yourself and so everyone is calm going into the session.  for example, if you have company coming into town and your son has a baseball game the morning of your session, that may put too much distracting stress on your family.  schedule your photos for a day when you have no additional plans or distractions to ensure that you have plenty of time to get to and from your session.

8 Tips For Getting Family Photos Taken | bethadilly photography

5.  Plan to Arrive 15 Minutes Early

there is nothing like traffic or having to turn around because you forgot your daughter’s shoes to put stress on your family before getting family photos taken.  and trust me, the stress of that 5th red light that you hit on the way to your session will show on your face in your pictures.  plan on arriving 15 minutes before your session to ensure you have plenty of time to travel to your session and relax before it begins.

arriving early also helps your children because you can walk around the location and get your children comfortable before the camera comes out.  sometimes children just need to familiarize themselves with their new environment to help encourage comfort and confidence for the photos.  when everyone is relaxed and comfortable, your photographer will have an easier time capturing natural and honest photos of your family instead of spending time relaxing everyone.

8 Tips For Getting Family Photos Taken | bethadilly photography

6. Be Yourself

once the camera comes out, be yourself.  and more importantly, let your children be themselves.  family portraits are all about capturing the honest moments that make up your family.  let your kids be your kids, silly faces and all.  trust me, in the years ahead you will be so thankful that your photographer captured your true family instead of a nervous looking deer in the headlights looking family all staring blankly at the camera.  don’t be intimidated when your kids become lively, your photographer will love capturing their personalities.  now, this is all within reason.  by all means, bribe your kids to ensure that they behave themselves.  i am not saying a wild pack of monkeys makes great photos, only that a little personality doesn’t hurt.

when in comes to children, their comfort while getting family photos taken is important.  allow them to bring their favorite stuffed animal or their blankie.  while you may not want this item in every single photo, sometimes a little comfort between takes is all your little on may need to keep them cooperative during the session.

8 Tips For Getting Family Photos Taken | bethadilly photography

7.  Have Expectations, But Respect Your Photographer

it’s okay to let your photographer know if you there are a few particular photos you would really like when you are getting family photos taken, it can be helpful for them to know that ahead of time.  on the flip side, respect your photographer.  you hired them for a reason…you love their work!  respect their vision and do as they say, they know what they are doing.  during our session, i let courtney know that i prefer photos where we aren’t looking at the camera, a more candid approach.  i love that she incorporated my wishes as she was photographing, while also capturing a few amazing portraits of us looking at the camera as well.

8 Tips For Getting Family Photos Taken | bethadilly photography

8.  Smile.  All the time.

as a photographer, i will be the first to tell you that some of my favorite photos i have ever taken of clients are the ones between takes, the candid ones.  i always tell my clients to smile all the time because i will be taking pictures non stop.  when you are in front of the camera, it is fair game!  make sure you are smiling all the time, for you never know when one of those in between moments is going to be your favorite photo.  if you have little ones, let your photographer worry about getting smiles of out them.  there is nothing worse than having a photo of a child that is smiling, only to see the parents both frowning in the picture because they were trying to elicit a smile behind the scenes.  just smile, look at the camera, and allow your photographer to help get the smiles out of your little ones.  to be truthful, your kids are more likely to smile for the photographer than you anyways because they are someone knew to look at!

getting family photos taken is something that is so special.  if you are like me, all i want is my photos.  i love my photos.  i love that they visually and permanently document a time in my life that otherwise would have been a memory.  remember that the purpose of family photos is to document the here and now, silly faces and all.  by keeping these tips for getting your family photos taken in mind, you will help prepare yourself for a wonderful session that will result in beautiful memories framed on the walls of your home.

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8 Tips For Getting Family Photos Taken | bethadilly photography

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