As a photographer, I find family photos to be a bit stressful. Not because they don’t turn out but because some parents set unrealistic expectations for themselves and for me. I thought that writing this blog post could help parents set some more realistic expectations for their family photos prior to arriving at their session.

When a family arrives, I spend a minute or two trying to get the children comfortable with me. I’ll then whisper to the parents if there is anything that we are bribing the children with. Some parents don’t believe in bribing…but it works, so please bring something or promise them something if they are good.

When the children are still a bit timid of me, I will try to get the posed photos. At this point the kids are more likely to be looking at the camera and behaving for their parents. This only lasts about 5 minutes, so I move VERY quickly!!

After those first 5-10 minutes, the kids typically start to feel more comfortable with me and therefore, start being kids! This is where I ask the parents to interact with the kids just like they would at home. Sometimes, this may look like the parents just watching the kids running around and acting silly or the parents may join in on the fun.

Below are a few examples of how a family session starts with some more serious photos, and then progresses at the end to some more natural photos.

Here are a few more examples 🙂

I hope this helps when preparing for your next family photo session!!

Stressed out about your children not smiling? Dont you worry, I have plenty of tricks! Head on over to this post to check them out!

Feel free to contact me or DM me on Instagram if you have any additional questions on how best to prepare 🙂