Step 2: Planning For Easy Family Photos

“I’ll be easy to spot. I’ll be the one holding the camera.” Is how I used to meet families.

Meeting your family In Your home

Let me just flash back for a minute here to what booking a photography session with me was like five years ago. The way this would most often work was that someone would email me about getting family photos. We go back-and-forth for a few emails and we’d pick a day and time.

On the session day, I would show up to a park or some specified corner and look around at everyone who arrived and ask myself, “Is that them?”  I would commonly tell families, “I’ll be easy to spot. I’ll be the one holding the camera.”  During November, this is a little less true. It happened twice that I walked up to a family that was dressed and ready for pictures and realized after a quick hello that they were not the family I was supposed to meet. 

---

Taking a selfie with this family’s new puppy.

---

And that’s what I did for years. 

There are, as you can imagine, a couple of disadvantages to meeting a photographer for the first time on the day of your portrait session. These slight disadvantages can feel a little more pronounced if someone is feeling a little anxious or less than eager to take pictures when they also don’t know me.

Over time and lots of experiences, my solution is simple. I make an appointment with your family to meet everyone ahead of time - whenever possible. Even if it's a very brief, “Hey”, it’s always worth it. 

1. Getting to Know Each Other

When you first book an appointment, we also schedule an in home consultation at the same time. Yes, meeting your family is the biggest benefit of me coming to your home.  I get to say hi to the kids, the teens, the spouse, and even sometimes the pets. Even being a little familiar with me, my sense of humor, and the fact that I talk too fast all lets your family get a little familiar with me making our session that much more comfortable. 

2. Picking out those Clothes

The in-home consultation is also the perfect time for us to chat about your wardrobe choices. If those choices haven’t been made, we can look through the closets to pick things that would look best together. 

Going over wardrobe choices is about giving you a second opinion if you’d like one. There are a couple of things that I look out for as a photographer when it comes to clothing depending. I’m thinking about clothing patterns depending on location and what style clothing photographs best. If you have multiple wardrobe changes, this is a good time for us to map out a plan for your session that makes the best use of your time during your photo session. 

3. Makeup Style

It’s more than the wardrobe that completes the look! This is also our chance to talk about all the details including accessories and makeup. I want to hear about your style and your ideal look for your portrait session. I’ll pass along the details to our makeup artist ahead of time. On the day of your portrait session she will check in with you again verifying what I’ve shared with her. 

4. All the Details

Let’s not forget about the details! This visit is also the perfect time to talk about the little things that we may have briefly touched on during our first phone call.  It may have come up that your child is going to be really wiggly and your spouse may be a little uncomfortable at first. I may or may not have thrown out some ideas on the phone but now is my time to suggest some ideas and make a plan for what you think may really work for that day. 

---

Taking this time to meet each other is always worth the effort. When everyone is more comfortable in front of the camera, and especially with your photographer, it is seriously such a great way to get the best photos from your photography session. From logistical reasons like planning and prep to immeasurable reasons like being comfortable and familiar, in-home consultations are an important part of how I best serve my clients. 

If you have an idea for your family photos or want to talk about wardrobe, send me a message so we can talk you can email me here.