be yourself
Is difficult to explain what your experience will be like, but I will try my best. The most important thing to know is that I’m not going to pressure you into anything you aren’t comfortable with. I want you to BE YOU and look like you in your family photos. Usually I try to guide you with options to choose from, such as if you aren’t sure what to do with your hands. Some people naturally put them in their pockets etc. I help you figure out what is best for you.
Make it memorable
I want you to look back on your photo session as a fun time you had with your family. That will make the photos all the more special and you will want to have them around your house. They will make you smile and remember that time in your lives.
Get Comfortable
I tend to start with everyone together and take a few photos to get everyone used to being in front of the camera. The first photos are rarely the best of the bunch. You need time to get used to the situation before you can fully be yourselves in front of of the camera. It also gives us some time to get to know one another.
LET'S TALK
I am going to talk to you a lot of the time. It’s like we’re all hanging out but I also have a camera. If we are doing family portraits or individual kids portraits I will talk to each person while I am photographing them. I try to get kids talking about something they have an interest in. Or tell bad jokes they may (or may not) laugh at. This is what we are doing when we want photos of you looking at the camera (or a mix of people looking and some not).
LOOK AT EACH OTHER
Other times I might give you a spot to walk to and tell you to look at each other or the beautiful view. You won’t be looking at the camera all of the time. The goal is to get a mix of you looking and not looking. I want to photograph your family’s dynamic together. How you look at each other and interact with one another. When dad tells a typical dad joke, what are the kids facial expressions? What does mom do? When your 2 year old comes in for a running hug, how does that make you feel? I want to photograph the pure joy a child experiences in that moment.
GO WITH THE FLOW
I go with the flow of the kids. If we are ready to do a family photo but the kids need more run around time, let them take it. Perhaps give them a time limit so they know what is coming next. I’ll try to get them excited about the spot we’re going to take the family photo in and race them there.
ARE WE A MATCH?
Another important thing to think about is your energy. Not everyone’s energies mix well together. I think I am a medium on the energy scale, which seems to work well for many people. If you are looking for someone to be super high energy, being really loud and crazy, then I am not the photographer for you. At the other end of the spectrum if you want a really quiet photographer who barely talks to you, that is also not me. I’m somewhere in the middle of those and I try to be a kind and smiling face on the other side of the camera.
If this sounds like your style, book a mini or 30 minute session with me to see if we work well together! We can also schedule a phone or video call beforehand to see how we jive.
