How Do I Prepare for my Family Photo Session

You’ve booked your family photography session but now you’re wondering what you can do to prepare for the big day. Whether you’re having your family photo session outdoors at one of the beautiful locations Seattle has to offer, or in the comfort of your own home, here are my top tips to make sure your photo day goes as smoothly as possible.

Make sure the kids are well rested

Your family photo session should be the big activity for your family that day. Try to make sure there aren’t any other big events such as birthday parties or zoo visits. You’ll want your kids to be happy and exhausted kids often mean cranky kids.

Have your wardrobe finalized about a week before

There’s nothing worse than trying on your outfit right before your session starts and realizing that something doesn’t fit. Aim to have everything finalized at least a week before your session. That way, if something doesn’t fit, you’ll have time to find a replacement.

Check for chipped nail polish

Trust me, it shows in pictures!

Don’t forget to eat before your session

Nothing makes kids (and adults) melt down quicker than a growling stomach. Have a light meal before your photo session, right before you get changed for it. This will keep the whole family happy.

Bring snacks

If you want to keep your kids going throughout the session, many parents like to have some snacks on hand. I recommend non-messy snacks such as gummies so they don’t stain the clothes.

Good things to have on hand

It’s great to have things like a hairbrush and baby wipes handy.

Relax!

If you’ve been following my work at all, you know I’m not going to ask you to stand, smile and look awkward in front of the camera. Just love on your babies, play with them, snuggle with your partner, then let me handle the rest. All you need to do is show up as YOU!

If you’d like to know more about my sessions, take a look at my information page.

Why Lifestyle Photography?

How I Became a Lifestyle Photographer

When I first started photography, I used to scroll Pinterest and Instagram looking for the perfect poses, the ones that I thought everyone wanted and expected. I would nervously show up to family sessions with a mental list of every pose I thought I had to get. I would leave a photography session either with pride that I had captured what I needed, or I’d be kicking myself for not getting everything on my list. I ran my photography business like this for a while and to be honest, it was exhausting. Family and newborn sessions stressed me out, but photographing my own family was a completely different story.

In January of 2015, I did a workshop all about lifestyle photography. It changed the way I photographed my children. Instead of stressing about them being perfectly dressed and perfectly posed, I started to photograph them exactly as they were, and not only did I see a huge improvement in my photography, but I started to love and treasure the moments I was capturing for my family. Below is the first photo I took during that workshop. Nothing amazing, just a quiet moment captured in an unposed and natural way.

I felt happy with my personal work but I was still trying to be a “perfect” photographer when it came to my family and newborn sessions. I knew there was a huge disconnect there but I didn’t quite see what it was. Slowly, after lots of workshops, a ton of photography sessions, and a whole lot of soul searching, I realized that I needed to relax more when I photographed families and newborns. I needed to forget about perfection and focus on the love and connection between family members. Once that happened, my whole approach to family sessions changed and I was able to start enjoying paid sessions as much as my personal shooting. Still photographing outdoors at beaches and fields, I was happy with the direction my photography was moving, but there was something missing. I realized how much I enjoyed in home lifestyle sessions. I noticed how much personality was in a family’s home and how much more comfortable the kids (and often the parents) were in their own space. I saw the beauty in a family’s space and felt like I needed to show a family the beauty that I see in them. Back in 2018, I nervously made the decision to switch over to a mainly in home lifestyle business model (don’t worry, I still do a handful of outdoor family sessions in the warmer months). I posted a couple of model calls for in home sessions to build my portfolio, and announced on social media that I was making the switch. I felt like I was going to lose a ton of families, but the response has been better than I could have imagined. People seem to have realized the benefit of not trekking for ages to get to an epic location, they realized that there is so much beauty in their every day and that it should be celebrated. They’ve realized that there is no better backdrop than the four walls in which they are most comfortable.

I have lots of resources if you’d like to learn more about an in home photography session like when is the best time or why I think you should have an in home session.