LOVE Your Family Photos Every Time

It has been SO long since I have made a blog post! I have a lot of goals as we get into the new year, and one of them is to provide more valuable photography education. I want to start by addressing something that is a big stress for a lot of families (especially moms): what if you don’t love your family photos? You spend a lot of time and money preparing for your session. You have to coordinate the perfect outfits, schedule a date, and decide on a location. When the day of your session comes, it might feel like an impossible feat to make it there without any mishaps. I want to share a few tips with you that can help simplify the process and one big piece of advice to help you love your family photos even if there are some hiccups along the way.

Nail down outfits at least a week before your session

Don’t add to your stress by scrambling to figure out what you’re going to wear the day before (or day of) your session. This is one thing you can reasonably figure out ahead of time. Decide on a color scheme and stick with it. To take it a step further, I also suggest ironing everything so that it’s ready to go. Need outfit inspiration? I have a Pinterest board just for that!

Pick at least one thing in your getting read process to let someone else handle

As a mom, you tend to put yourself last when your family is involved. I think every mom should get totally pampered on family picture day, but I know that’s not always realistic. If you can swing it, I highly recommend outsourcing at least one thing. Whether that’s nails, hair, makeup, etc., you’ll feel like a million bucks and will have one less thing to worry about.

Change little ones at the session location

If you have young children, listen up! One of the best things you can do is change them into their outfits when you get to the session. This avoids wrinkles, snack messes, and helps your stress levels while you’re driving to the location.

Give up control as soon as you start the session

It’s in your nature as a mom to make sure everything goes seamlessly. The tips I have given you will help you to make sure of it. However, once the session starts, there’s a shift that needs to happen. I know you want so badly for your kids to behave perfectly and for your husband to have the best attitude. You have this expectation in your mind of Pinterest-worthy photos and gosh dang-it you have exhausted yourself to get here. However, your family (especially your kids) are going to feed off of your energy. If you’re rigid and stern, they’re actually more likely to act out.

As uncomfortable as it might be, the best thing you can do is let the photographer be in charge. I promise that I have seen much rowdier kids and much grumpier husbands than yours. I have so many tricks up my sleeve to help shift the energy when things are feeling tense or stressful. The point is that every family is a little bit messy in the best ways! Those Pinterest photos you’ve been dreaming about feel magical because they’re authentic–not because they’re perfect. All you need to do is soak in the people who mean the most to you, and leave the rest up to me. I can help you love your family photos.

Learn more tips to love your family photos

I hope these tips were helpful as you prepare for your next family session! I have so much more information in my Family Welcome Guide that I give to every family that books a session with me. Click here to book!