Planning a family portrait is hard! Timing, outfits, cost, keeping the baby happy, keeping the big kids entertained, getting the teen to participate and making sure grown children are off work – the list goes on! There are a few simple mistakes that many families make that can ruin a family portrait – here’s how to fix them:

1. Bringing Extra People: The more people you bring, the more distractions there are. Often parents believe bringing a grandparent or friend will help children be happy but what actually happens is they are competing with the photographer for the child’s attention. Sometimes parents do this too! If I give a direction to your child, I don’t expect them to do it perfectly or immediately and sometimes I’m actually hoping to capture their response to my words not their compliance. By repeating the direction or calling for your child’s attention you inadvertently interrupt the flow of the session. Babies and children are easily overwhelmed by extra stimuli and will not make eye contact with the photographer/camera if their attention is pulled in different directions. This also makes them tire out quickly and can even make babies fussy. Let the photographer be the leader of the session and give them time to build a rapport with your child. We don’t expect perfect smiles in the first 5 minutes – let them warm up, get to know who I am and what I expect and I’ll capture exactly what you are looking for.

2. Trying to do too much in one session: In an effort to save time and money, often families try to squeeze in a headshot or additional grouping of people in one session. I get it – you’re dressed and ready, why not try to do as much as possible at one time? If we’ve planned in advance, we can usually make a lot happen in a single session but if spring it on the photographer at the session you’ll likely be disappointed. Doing brand or headshots often requires very specific lighting and your full attention – no matter how casual the resulting images appear.

3. Worrying too much about the backdrop or clothing: Of course you want beautiful wardrobe and backdrop for a cohesive image but in the end the only thing that really matters is who is in the image. Instead of focusing on what you want to see behind the people, spend the time thinking about how you feel about those people in the photo next to you. Do you want to remember how snuggly your babies was at 9 months old? How carelessly your 5 year old dances whenever and wherever they are? Focus your energy into creating a space that allows for those things to happen without being hindered.

4. Not budgeting enough time: This is probably the best indicator of a shoot running smoothly – leaving enough time to prepare. Getting outfits together the day or 2 prior, having time to get hair and make up done, leaving travel time for traffic, giving children the opportunity to finish a meal or snack without being rushed, leaving time for potty breaks, etc. is imperative. Rushing often leads to resentment and conflict – is your partner moving quickly enough and helping you get children ready? Leave enough time and hopefully avoid this!

5. Focusing on your own flaws: If you arrive constantly thinking about your double chin, telling me about your double chin and posing in a way that you think will avoid a double chin, you’re going to get a session focused on your chin. If you move naturally and trust the photographer to pose you, likely you’ll get images that show your best angles and the love you share with your family.