What's the best way to ensure you have a successful family session? There are several different factors when planning a family session that come into play, and all of them are super important when it comes to making sure your session runs as smoothly as possible, but also is an enjoyable experience for the whole family.
Let's first remind ourselves what a family session is all about. They're about capturing moments and milestones, they're about creating and documenting connections between loved ones so you have the photos to look back on and truly enjoy for generations to come.
But as we all know, sometimes kids don't want to cooperate! Sometimes they have a lot of energy, and don't want to sit still, smile, and have their picture taken. And yes, this is exactly like my youngest, so I'm aware of how tricky this can make a session!
This is why having some tools in your toolbox ready can be really helpful during your session in order to ensure a positive experience as well as making sure we get some beautiful photos of your family at the same time. So how do we do this?
My first tip is to let the children lead the session. By lead, I mean, let them decide where the session goes. If they're feeling adventurous, we can explore a little. Smell some flowers, collect some leaves, throw small rocks into the river. If they're feeling silly, we can play games to get them engaged like peek a boo, tackle Mommy and Daddy, or even have a piggy back ride or two. And if your little one is feeling snuggly, we'll respect them by letting them snuggle you, and get some sweet photos of that. I don't like to ever pressure children into doing anything they don't feel comfortable doing, and this helps them feel confident and comfortable during their session.
Another tip is to not have super high expectations of your children, and what I mean by this, is to go into your session knowing your child might misbehave a little. They might be uncomfortable at first and need some time to warm up, and that's ok! They might have trouble listening to instructions, which is totally normal, especially if they're in a new place, or haven't done a photo session before. Practicing patience and having a positive attitude will help your session go a lot smoother no matter how your children are behaving, and I have way to get them to listen, cooperate, and join in when they otherwise might not want to.
And my biggest tip is my absolute favorite! If you truly want a successful family session, you must engage and interact with your children. I mean, that's what these sessions are all about, right? Capturing those candid and beautiful moments that truly tell your family's story. I've worked with a lot of families over the years, and one thing I've learned is that when parents engage with their children by playing, snuggling, tickling, holding hands, etc, children are more likely to not only participate, but they engage with family members as well, and this is how I capture all the laughs, smiles, and giggles we all love and want to capture.
By doing these three things, you are ensuring a fun and positive session, and one that you and your family can look back on, and you won't just have pictures to post or hang up on your wall, you'll also have beautiful memories with your loved ones as well.