How to prepare for your family session | Bergen County NJ Photographer
You decided that you need family photos, Googled and found the right photographer (see this post on how to find the right photographer) - now what?
Here are some key points you want to know for success of your photo session:
GET EVERYONE EXCITED AND ON BOARD
It’s important that the session is NOT a surprise, or NOT announced the night before so teenagers and/or the dad are NOT upset coming into the session! I can’t do my job if everyone is not on board, as your expressions show your emotions. After you contact me and are about to book your session, it’s a good idea to have a chat and the conversation might sound like “Hey, we don’t have any photos on the wall and I want to start adding framed photos of us because all of our photos are on our phones or social media. I just booked a photo session in 4 weeks. We have time to pick out your favorites clothes and shoes, and it will be a fun time for us.” So it’s a good idea to think ahead, so you don’t have to rush and book. It might be a good idea to plan a fun dinner out at kids’ favorite place or promise an ice cream treat after the session so kids don’t feel like a duty or work.
DON’T RUSH IN OR RUSH OUT FOR AN ACTIVITY
Schedule your session on a (relatively) relaxed day. Don’t rush in from a soccer game and worry about time to be on the road to see a Yankees game, or schedule between a dance recital and a mitzvah party an hour away(an extreme example but you know what I mean! ). That stress shows in the photos, and since it’s a rare occasion for your family, you want to schedule your session as the main event of the day or the weekend.
SLEEP WELL THE NIGHT BEFORE
I don’t need to remind you this, but lack of sleep shows in the faces and affects everyone’s mood. Needless to say, don’t let kids sleepover at friends’ house before the photo session, or don’t schedule after a late night out. Get all the clothes ironed and ready to go.
DRESS IN WEATHER-APPROPRIATE CLOTHES
You might have noticed that clothing comes last on this list. Yes, I care more about how you are rested and excited about the session rather that what you wear. And my advice is not about color or style of clothes - just wear weather-appropriate clothes. Do not freeze in a short, sleeve-less dress outside in November, Studio will be very comfortable year-around so that’s less of an issue, but the heater might not be able to catch up in 18F temperature. I will make another post about what type of clothes look great in photos, but these are the thing that help me do a good job delivering what you want as family photos.
Ok, CLOTHES ARE IMPORTANT, ACTUALLY
The most important thing is that everyone feels like themselves. What to avoid will be baggy clothing that would make you look unnecessarily big, brand logos, sports shirts that are clingy to the body(Underarmour, Nike etc) . Coordinate so everyone looks like they are in the same season, and pick a color or an item so everyone looks loosely coordinated. If it’s a park setting, casual definitely looks better than jackets, ties and high heels. Matchy matchy is a bit too Sear’s studio in the 70’s - unless the purpose of the photos is to recreate those Sear’s photos! But overall, I am pretty relaxed about the style you wear as a family.