Preparing for your Family Photos: The Three P's
If you have scheduled your Castle Rock Family Photos you are probably so excited but as a mom, you know preparation and expectations are key to success. I have taken photos with children and a husband who has been less than enthusiastic about the upcoming scheduled session. Although I still achieved beautiful family photos the experience can be improved by a little preparation done on your part! Your family is the most important subject of this session. and though I can manipulate a little bit in Photoshop I cannot completely make your family 100% ready for your session like only you can. I’ve heard it said that mom sets the temperature for the family and the family unit is the thermostat. Mama, you can make a difference in how your family shows up to a photo session even when they are a little objection
My email list subscribers receive a pdf of 10 tips for preparing for your family photos but here is a spin-off of my 10 Tips. If you would like the whole list you can subscribe here!
Here are my THREE P’s for Preparing for your family portraits:
Promote the excitement
When you are excited about something, they will become excited about that same something too. Positive reinforcement is powerful! Sing your praises and excitement about your upcoming session. Show them photos of when they were younger and remind them how much they have grown and you want to remember this time in their childhood.
Once we decide on the location, HYPE IT UP! Is it a wildflower field? Talk all about the different flowers you will see and smell. The animals that might be there too! Is your session at a park in the city? Let them get excited about the things you might see there. A firetruck driving by, a fountain, the ducks in the pond!
Emphasize the importance of these photographs and the joy of being together as a family. My kids almost always cheer up when we mention these photos are for their favorite family member! Grammy always gets the biggest cheeses from my kids!
I also love a good silly photo alongside the sweet, intimate ones. So if hyping up the silliness helps them get excited do it, then do it! They will be more willing to be snuggly when the prompting arises during the session.
Pick your outfits
This is the fun part (well, for me at least). I'll send you a style guide for guidelines so don't be stressed about what to wear for your Colorado family session. The process of putting together coordinated and stylish outfits for the whole family can be a fun and creative endeavor. It's an opportunity to showcase your style and create a visual story that complements the setting of the shoot.
For me, the anticipation of picking out the perfect attire is almost as thrilling as the photo session itself. It's a chance to express our personalities while also coordinating our looks to create a cohesive and visually appealing outcome. It's like curating a mini fashion show that reflects our family's vibe and style.
Selecting outfits that make us feel confident and comfortable contributes to our mindset going into the session. When we're dressed in outfits that we love and feel good in, it boosts our confidence and adds to the positive energy we bring to the photography session.
Not only will the Style Guide I send to you help you choose, but I also have a Client Closet for full-session clients to access. It's full of dresses for moms and outfits for young children. I'm always adding to it too! I've been photographing families for 9 years and I'll be your guiding light for outfit selection. I'll be holding your hand every step of the outfit-choosing way if you choose not to access my client closet.
Plan something fun afterward
If your schedule allows, plan something fun to do as a family after a photography session! It's not just a great idea, it’s also a wonderful way to create lasting memories and continue the positive energy from the photo session. After spending time in front of the camera, it’s important to unwind and celebrate the experience as a family.
Planning a fun activity after the session also serves as a reward for everyone's participation and patience during the photo shoot. It reinforces the idea that the session was not just about taking pictures but was also a shared experience that deserves to be celebrated and followed by something enjoyable.
Now, I’m not telling you to bribe your children or husband because I believe photos should happen regardless if there are tears or not. But it is something else to look forward to after your session! Go to a park, or a sporting event, get ice cream… treat yourselves to being vulnerable with your photographer! That is no small feat! Having something to look forward to after the session can help calm children and the nerves that can happen when they don't want to do the thing. And ice cream solves a multitude of problems!
Capturing this moment in your family's history can be a positive experience regardless of tears and objections. Remember mama, you set the tone and the temperature of your family portrait session. The three key components to preparing for your family session are promoting the excitement, picking your outfits, and planning something fun after the session. If you do those three things I can guarantee you will have an amazing session celebrating your family and you will have beautiful heirloom photos to cherish for years to come.
Welcome! I’m so honored you are here checking out my blog. I wanted to tell you a little more about me; I am a family lifestyle photographer and a Mama of two. If you would like to learn a little more about me click here. I serve clients as a Colorado Springs Family Photographer and a Denver Family Photographer.
If you love these photos and are looking for a milestone, family, maternity, or newborn lifestyle photographer in Colorado Springs or Denver I would love to learn more about you, your family, and the season of life you are in. I’m currently booking all of 2024 and into 2025 for my Baby-Bump clients. Fill out the contact form here and I will be in touch within 24 business hours!
Colorado Springs Family Photography | Hansen Family
Documenting growing families is such an honor but to capture these moments for friends is even more special. This sweet family lived in our neighborhood here in Illinois and so we were blessed with getting to know them.
Let me tell you something about this mama… Her husband had a very busy job, leaving her solo-parenting much of the week. She handled her daily rhythms with grace and a calmness. When I would see her at the neighborhood playground she always greeted everyone warmly. The love she has for her two girls and the little love arriving in October truly radiates from her. I’m certain you’ll be able to feel that from this family session.
Thank-you Hansen family for the honor of capturing your beautiful family as your Colorado Springs Family Photographer.
If you loved this session check out these:
Welcome! I’m so honored you are here checking out my blog. I wanted to tell you a little more about me; I am a family lifestyle photographer and a Mama of two. If you would like to learn a little more about me click here. I serve client as Colorado Springs Family Photographer and Denver Family Photographer.
If you love these photos, and you are looking for a milestone, family, maternity, or newborn lifestyle photographer in Colorado Springs and Denver I would love to learn more about you, your family, and the season of life you are in. I’m currently booking all of 2024 and into 2025 for my Bump-Baby clients. Fill out the contact form here and we will be in touch!
HEINLEIN KIDDOS | PRINCETON NJ FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER | PHILADELPHIA FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER
Oh you know, just finally getting around to sharing the lovely families I have had in front of my camera the last 2 year because this blog is severely neglected! These cuties are two years older now and so its time to make their mama’s heart burst sharing photos of her three babies. These kids had so much fun throwing snow and rolling around on the bed at the PCB Holiday Mini-Session extravaganza!
MARTELLA FAMILY | PRINCETON FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHY | PRINCETON BATTLEFIELD | PRINCETON NJ FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHY
This Princeton, NJ family portrait session was so much fun! The Martellas are local and in Seattle so when big bro and new dad, Joe came home for the holidays he jumped on the opportunity for family photos.We actually shot in two locations. The first was at my most popular session destination, Princeton Battlefield and the second was during my 2019 PCB Home Holiday mini-session extravaganza! What a treat this family had… one cold location and one indoor location with cookies.
I’m excited to share the highlight reel from that late fall session. The light was dreamy and the love was flowing!
IF YOU ENJOYED THIS FAMILY SESSION YOU MIGHT ALSO LOVE:
CHRISTMAS AT PCB HOME WITH THE PORIGOWS
princeton photographer | pcb home
I have about 20 sessions I haven’t shared between November 2019 and today! Between a deployment last year with an infant, the first trimester yuckies, then the Vid (this is what I’m calling Covid bc its like saying "you know who’s name”) and newborn life I really haven’t invested much time into this online space. But here is one of them!! Now don’t get too excited because unfortunately I’m not able to offer indoor mini-sessions in 2020. I am very much praying 2021 looks different and we can have PCB Home minis again!
Its not everyday a military family moves back to the region they went to college and definitely not common to even live 15 minutes from your college roommate and dance team Big! But that happened. Jess and I met when I was a freshman at Penn State when I joined the Whiplash Hip-Hop Dance Team. And we were housemates my Sophomore year! Oh we saw the good, the bad and the ugly of college life together as most college roommates do.
Jess and Alex met at Penn State in their program! And so I met Alex in the last 2000’s too! So to be able to photographer their sweet little family was a joy! Enjoy their 2019 Christmas Session at PCB Home in Cranbury, NJ.
