10 Tips for a Perfect Family Photo Session
Family portraits are about so much more than getting everyone together and smiling at the camera.
Families change quickly. Kids grow, personalities change, new family members arrive, and somehow another year passes before we realize it. Family photographs give us a way to hold onto what your family looks and feels like right now.
My photography style is natural, relaxed, and timeless. I want to capture the beautiful portrait of everyone looking at the camera, but I also want the laughter, connection, little personalities, and relationships that make your family yours.
After photographing families for many years, I’ve learned that a little preparation can make the entire experience easier.
Here are my top 10 tips for a beautiful and relaxed family portrait session.
1. Coordinate Your Outfits Without Matching
Choosing what everyone will wear is often the hardest part of preparing for family photos.
Instead of trying to match everyone, choose a color palette with several complementary colors.
I love soft neutrals and muted tones because they photograph beautifully and keep your portraits timeless. Cream, beige, ivory, camel, sage, dusty blue, soft gray, denim, and other earth tones are wonderful starting points.
Try to avoid large logos, neon colors, extremely busy prints, and too many competing patterns.
Keep everyone's clothing within the same general season and level of formality. A flowy dress and linen shirt will look more cohesive together than a formal dress paired with an athletic polo and sneakers.
When in doubt, start with Mom's outfit and build everyone else around her.
2. Try Everything On Before Your Session
Don't wait until an hour before your session to discover that someone's pants are suddenly too short.
Kids have a special talent for growing overnight.
About a week before your session, have everyone try on their complete outfit, including shoes and accessories.
Make sure everything fits comfortably and that you feel good wearing it. Sit down, walk around, bend over, and pick up your little ones.
If you're constantly adjusting something in the mirror at home, you'll probably be adjusting it during your session too.
You're also welcome to send me photos of your outfit choices beforehand. I'm always happy to help you decide what will photograph best together.
3. Get Dressed Right Before You Leave
Once you've chosen the perfect outfits, let's keep them that way.
I recommend getting everyone dressed as close to departure time as possible, especially if you have younger children.
Avoid planning a meal or another activity after everyone is dressed and before your session. Wrinkles happen. Spills happen. Sticky little fingers definitely happen.
For very young children, you may even want to bring their portrait outfit with you and change them shortly before we begin.
4. Keep Hair and Makeup Natural
Your family portraits should still look like you.
If you normally wear makeup, your session isn't necessarily the day to experiment with a completely new look. Choose something that makes you feel polished, comfortable, and confident.
If you don't normally wear much makeup, you don't need to suddenly wear a lot of it for photographs. A little definition around the eyes and an even complexion can photograph beautifully.
Professional hair and makeup can also be a wonderful option if you'd like to make the day feel special.
Whatever you choose, the goal is to look like the best version of yourself, not someone completely different.
Leave the Phones and Cameras Behind
Once your session begins, give yourself permission to simply be present.
You don’t need to take pictures over my shoulder or try to get your child’s attention for me.
In fact, having several adults saying, “Look here! Smile! Look at Sarah!” usually results in a child looking absolutely everywhere except at my camera.
I’ll guide everyone and get their attention when I need it.
Your only job is to enjoy your family.
6. Don't Stress About Temporary Blemishes
A surprise blemish the morning of your portrait session isn't a reason to panic.
Temporary skin imperfections can usually be addressed during the retouching process, so there's no need to pile on extra makeup or spend your session worrying about something small.
My goal with retouching is for you to still look like yourself, just beautifully polished.
7. Tell Me About Anything You're Self-Conscious About
This is one of the easiest ways I can help you before we ever start photographing.
If you have a preferred side, an area you're self-conscious about, a recent injury, dental work, or anything else you're concerned may show in photographs, tell me privately beforehand.
There is absolutely no judgment involved.
Knowing ahead of time allows me to think about posing, lighting, camera angles, family groupings, and retouching so you can relax instead of worrying about it throughout your session.
8. Empty Your Pockets
Phones, keys, wallets, sunglasses, hair ties, and bulky objects have an impressive ability to appear in exactly the photograph where we don't want them.
Before we begin, empty your pockets.
Whenever possible, leave unnecessary belongings at home or safely secured. If we're walking during an outdoor session, the less you need to carry, the better.
This also allows you to put your phone away and simply enjoy being with your family for a little while.
I'll worry about the pictures.
9. Don't Stress About the Kids
This might be the most important tip on the entire list.
Please don't worry if your child doesn't immediately want to participate.
Don't spend the drive to your session repeatedly reminding them that they have to smile, behave, or take good pictures for me. That can accidentally make the session feel like a test before we've even started.
Instead, tell them you're going to have some fun together.
I'll interact with them, give them time to warm up, play games, let them explore when appropriate, and work with their personalities.
If your toddler needs a break, we'll take one.
If someone doesn't want to smile, we won't force it.
If things get a little silly, even better.
Parents relaxing is often the quickest way to help children relax too.
Some of my favorite family photographs aren't the perfectly posed ones. They're the images that show exactly who those children were at that particular age.
10. Print Your Family Photographs
Please don't let your family photographs live forever on your phone or computer.
Digital files are wonderful for sharing and preserving your images, but there's something completely different about seeing your family displayed in your home.
Print your favorites. Create an album. Hang a large family portrait somewhere you'll see it every day.
Years from now, your children aren't going to care whether everyone's outfit was perfect or whether somebody refused to smile for three minutes.
They're going to see themselves with the people who loved them.
And that's really the point of all of this.
Ready to update your family session?
A beautiful family session doesn't require a perfect family.
Come dressed, fed, and ready to spend some time together. I'll guide you through posing, help with the kids, watch the little details, and create a combination of classic portraits and natural moments that reflect your family right now.
Because this version of your family deserves to be remembered too.
Learn more about family photography sessions in Bonsall and North County San Diego