It has taken me some time to really love a family portrait session. When I first started my photography business I would photograph families in their homes or at a chosen location. Sometimes it would involve dramatic lighting and backdrop setups, stiff posing, and inner frustration. I didn’t feel excited, relaxed, or connected to these session so I stopped doing them. For a few years I only promoted and photographed weddings.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved the families I was working with, but I just didn’t feel right when I was photographing them. A couple years ago I picked up a film camera and something changed! Film taught me to slow down and it also opened my eyes up to realize the type of session I wanted to shoot for my families. I wanted to slow down and keep it simple.
Using so much equipment was super distracting and didn’t allow my clients to relax. As I began to strip away the distractions my clients were able to feel comfortable being themselves. I could sit back with my one camera and slowly document their story. I had time to breathe, take in the setting, and notice life happening in front of my lens.
As I was building the guide to beautiful portraits, I noticed this image above. Near the end of the family session I wanted to grab a quick few shots of the mom and dad alone. Their son hates when they kiss and so he squeezed himself into the middle of their legs and made it known that they should stop. I love how he is touching is mom’s leg as she reached up on her toes for a kiss! This little guy has something to say about all this and it is so sweet!
Parents might be frustrated with their session when their child doesn’t want to cooperate. Let me give you a big dose of reality! In my experience, the children don’t really want to have anything to do with the session and generally don’t cooperate as you would expect. My advice when they don’t want to have anything to do with the session is to relax. Hold them in close, smell their hair, and don’t stop smiling (even when they are crying), then, let them go and be themselves. Your session is more about togetherness than perfection. I’m there to document your family as you are, not as you should be.
I’m excited to share with you the guide for a beautiful portrait session! I have developed some detailed tips that will help you prepare for you upcoming portrait session and will make you feel more comfortable and confident as you know what to expect when planning for your session. This guide will be helpful for any couples and families as they think about and plan for their session. Use this link to download your copy of the free guide to a beautiful portrait session!
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