I have had the pleasure of working with this family three times in the past three years. Mom knew that she wanted to book a spring family photoshoot. Both of her kids’ birthdays fall in April (and her husband’s!), so it was important to document this time.
Preparing for their Family Photoshoot
After Mom booked a date on my calendar, it was time to chat details. I shared some of my favorite locations with her and we chatted about wardrobe options, including my Client Closet. Once we really dove deeper into her vision though, we realized the best location was their new home. They had recently moved to a new home in town the previous summer and wanted to document memories in their family home. How could I say no to that!?
I asked them to provide me with the address of their home so that I could get a sense of when the sun would set behind their house. This is so important and can literally make or break your session. A little Google research helped me to pick the very best time. I’m so glad that I checked too, because their house is on a hill. We could have lost the sun much faster than I had expected if we had taken the time to check.
Family Photoshoot
The kiddos were SO excited when I pulled up in my car. Both of them were eager to show me around their new home. While Mom and Dad were making final preparations, I took advantage of the moment and started grabbing some images with the kids. Oftentimes, the beginning of a session is the best time to get pictures of little ones, especially the under 5 crowd. This is because kids are usually trying to figure out who this lady with the camera is. I take advantage of that time to make them laugh. Sure enough, some of these early pictures were Mom and Dad’s favorites.
Once the whole family was together, we went through my posing system. In my pre-session questionnaire, I asked if they wanted mostly posed pictures, candids or a mix of both. This family was all about a healthy balance, so that is what we did. I typically start with a walking pose to get everyone warmed up (and laughing) and then we go with the flow from there.
Young kiddos tend to have fairly short attention spans. Because of this, we mixed things up with games and different combinations to keep things fresh. We wrapped up just as the sun was beginning to set behind their house.
After the Family Session
Once the sun sank behind the house, we started to wrap up. The kiddos definitely earned their super colorful dinosaurs and gummy snacks (bribes for the win!). I absolutely loved having a chance to catch up with the family about all of the things that had happened since our last family photoshoot together. I let the family know that the expectations for when they would receive their final images and I was on my way. I can’t wait to see how they use their final images in their new home!
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