cookieOptions = {...}; Kent Heartstrings: 10 Tips for a Successful (not stressful!) Family Photo Shoot

10 Tips for a Successful (not stressful!) Family Photo Shoot

Wednesday, September 17, 2014



Family Portraits can be so stressful, high energy, high anxiety and overwhelming for both kids and parents.  We just had our most recent family photo shoot and it went without a hitch, it was relaxing, fun and easy.  I was shocked really. I chalk it up to two BIG things 1. Planning 2. Katie Beverley (our photographer).

Katie is seriously incredible to work with and she really made the experience so enjoyable. She is professional, artistic, and super good with kids that is brought the pressure of being the "perfect family" off our shoulders, because we knew she could relate and knew how to get the "shots" we needed out of the kids! If you are in the Southern California area and need a photographer, you have to get in touch with her!

There are so many things that go into my planning a family photo shoot, so Katie and I collaborated on 10 tips for you in order to pull off a fun no stress family photo shoot, I hope they are helpful!

Cassie's 5 Tips (the client):

1. Take care of kids needs first. This might be duh! but its important when planning a photo session to keep in mind all of the children's needs.  We wanted to take the pictures at 6pm because Katie said that is the best lighting when taking outdoor photos, so we worked from there.  Gigi is easy, I knew she would be fine and game for anything, but we did have to negotiate on somethings about the outfit (the tights were her add on) so I chose my battles.  Charlie eats at 5:30 then bottle at 6:30, so I knew we would have a short sweet spot to take care of photos with him. I made sure both kids were fed and happy before pictures were taken. Also had them in completely different clothes until literally we were ready to take pictures, because my kids can get filthy by just blinking, I swear! If you have older kids, I highly recommend bribery. It is sometimes the only solution. We promised Gigi an ice cream after everything, for having a good attitude working with Katie, and making sure to smile...a lot! I had puffs and little snacks for Charlie to keep him happy too.

      



2. Bring someone to help with kids.  If you plan to do any photos of just you and hubby then this is definitely a must. Even if you don't though, having another person around to shuffle the stuff from here to there and make the kids laugh or smile when the photographer is taking pictures is always helpful. Mike's mom was visiting us from Florida at the time, so it worked out perfectly to have her there to help us with the kids!





3. Choose a photographer that is family friendly.  I prefer to have a photographer that has kids take pictures of my kids, because I know they understand how to capture all the sweet nuances of children.  Most importantly they will know how to handle my children in a way that is approachable, calm and fun. Katie was all those things and more! She really made me feel relaxed, because I knew we both were working together to get the kids to have fun, smile and get those perfect pictures ;)



4. Have an idea of what you.  I scored through pinterest to find ideas of poses I wanted to do for our family and other shots I know I wanted to get. Have in mind before hand any "must" poses or combinations of people you want to take (I knew I wanted solo shots of the kids, solo pic of Mike and I, etc.).  Your photographer will work with you to accomplish those "musts" but listen to their professional advice and seek out what they recommend...remember they are the artists and have that professional "eye". I was very happy to trust Katie's guidance and sure enough the pictures she posed and created were the ones I liked better anyway! ;)

(My idea, the only thing I really love about it is Gigi's face)

(one of many of Katie's ideas)



5. Choose a venue and get all the information about it ahead of time. This is a tip from an unfortunate bad planning incident.  Our original venue (a winery) once we got there, closed  15 minutes after we were there, boo. I should have called ahead of time and checked on all that, also they had a policy on taking pictures on their property, so make sure you look into all that too.  We scrambled to find a place, but we were fortunate enough to find a PERFECT place not far from where we were! So grateful!  That really could have screwed us up a lot, especially the timing with all the kids! Phew, crisis averted.




Katie's 5 Tips (the photographer):

1. Choose your photographer based on their style-definitely look around and see whose images resonate with you the most. 

2. Prepare for your shoot early so that when it finally arrives, the grown-ups and the kids can all feel relaxed and happy. Kids pick up on any stress or anything that feels rushed.

3. Rather than choosing clothing that is matchy-matchy, clothing that is color coordinated works better. I recommend choosing Mom's outfit first (That's the most important, right?!), then styling any little girls in the family next. It's usually easiest to add the boys' clothing after the girls of the family are styled. Layering usually looks fabulous, and so do accessories.

4. Mom should treat herself to professional hair and makeup that day! Not only will you look fabulous in your pictures, but a little pampering always helps you to feel amazing and confident as well--and that shows in your photographs!

5. When you arrive to your shoot, definitely feel free to share fun ideas with your photographer, but then, put your Pinterest must-have poses aside. A great photographer will be able to incorporate your props and ideas and come out with something that is authentically you. Have fun!


And just a few more, because I love them so much! Thanks Katie Beverley Photography!






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17 comments:

  1. These are great tips! My sister is taking our family pictures in just a few weeks, so this post helps me out a lot. Maybe I can talk my mom into coming along with us to help with the little man. Thanks for sharing! :)

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    1. Oh I am so glad that these tips were helpful! Get your mom there if you can, it will be a huge help! Happy shooting!

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  2. I love this! All of these tips are great and the photos are stunning!!

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  3. You guys were soooo fun!! Loved collaborating on this sweet post and love you!!

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    1. Girl. You the amazing wizard. so fun tag teaming it today! Love you!

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  4. Great tips! We were just talking about making an appointment for fall family photos, so this is super helpful!

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    1. Thanks Megan, perfect timing! Hope they are useful!

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  5. Fun tips and you have some wonderful photos!

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  6. So many great tips! I love the colors of your outfits! They are AWESOME together!! :)

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  7. these are great tips! and your photos are lovely!

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  8. Lovely! I totally agree about having a photographer who has kids. My favorite family photos came from a wonderful mama photographer who was patient and silly with my son. I also never give poses, but let the photographer do their work...I find we are all more relaxed that way! Great advice and super cute photos!!

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