Yay! You’ve likely decided to do a family photoshoot which is the first step in getting some unforgettable moments captured with your family. However, if you are like me you probably have a few questions- What should I wear? What should other members of my family wear? What would be the ideal location to take the shots? Should I get some props? How should I pose for my photos?

So I’m here to walk you through each of these things and give you a few tips to make this entire experience super fun and get the photos that you will cherish year after year!

When to schedule the session?

If you are working with a natural light photographer for outdoor family shots, it’s best to schedule your session anytime within two hours of the “golden hour”. Now I know what you are thinking, “I only have two hours in the evening on any given day to schedule my session?”. Don’t worry that’s not it. There’s golden hour in the morning too! Almost two hours after sunrise. Moreover, during morning hours right up until noon in winters and till almost 10am in summers, the sun is not overhead so the shadows cast by the sun are not drastic. These are all good times for scheduling your session.

Always keep the daily cycle of your kids and pets in mind. Do not schedule the shoot during the time when your kids are hungry or sleepy, you want to set yourself up for success not failure!

Man sitting on grass in golden hour with sun behind him — A golden hour portrait

This picture was clicked almost one hour before sunset giving the image an ethereal glow! Also don’t worry if it’s cloudy on the day of the shoot, clouds are a photographer’s best friends and make for really flattering photos.

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How to choose the best location?

Deciding on a location can be challenging and depends a lot on your personal preference. A great family portrait can be achieved even in your front yard with your beautiful home in the background. Alternatively, you can choose an outdoor location that your family enjoys.

Mom and son posing for the camera in their front porch — Front porch portraits

Deciding to have your family photos taken in your front yard is a beautiful way to mark your journey as a family in your home! Think about how much shade or light your porch gets when selecting the time of the photoshoot.
Don’t stress too much about prettying up your yard but do keep in mind specific eye sores like yard equipment, water hoses or mowers from crowding the space. Another thing to keep in mind is that your car is better off parked on the street so that your driveway is empty for a clean shot.

A family with a dog smiling for a shot at Zilker Park — Outdoor location

If your photographer is deciding the location, make sure to research the location before the shoot. This will help you feel familiar with the location. It’s always a good idea to look at recent pictures taken at the location on Google maps or Instagram. If you and your photographer are flexible to the choice of the location, suggest familiar open spaces where your photos aren’t blocked by too much foot traffic.
Always feel comfortable to have a conversation with your photographer especially if you and your family have fond memories of a particular outdoor place. This could be your neighborhood park or a hike in the city you are fond of. Make sure that the place you choose has ample natural light and comfortable for you and your family to get to.

How to prepare everyone?

Make sure everyone in the family including your partner, tiny humans and furry family members are hyped up about the session! Let them know how much fun it would be to get all the pictures taken. Make an event out of it! How fun would it be to hang with your friend, Trisha on Saturday!

If you have shy kids, play it like a fun day at the park to get them to embrace the moment. Make sure they come to the session with their bellies full and after they’ve had good sleep so that they enjoy the session as much as they should! If you have a furry family member join in on the fun, make sure that they are in a comfortable environment too. If they don’t get along with other animals or get uncomfortable in crowded places, it’s best to avoid those places.

Pro tip: Don’t be shy of bribery! Entice them with their favorite TV show, ice cream, treats or toys. Some of these can be really useful in getting family members to cooperate!

What to wear?

Dressing up can seem more stressful than it should. I know these portraits are important but they don’t need to be a shopping wormhole! I encourage you to think of a theme for dressing up as opposed to trying to match outfits with each other. One of the classic themes is to go for neutrals like whites, blacks, beige or grey tones in your clothing. Always remember that you will look best in the clothes you feel comfortable in!

Always dress for the season - This could mean flowy dresses for women and khaki shorts for men in summers to jackets, scarves and beanies in the winter!
Makeup - Keeping your makeup as natural as possible is best and timeless. It’s best to avoid any current trends.

Couple posing on their back porch — Complementary Outfits

Try to complement each others wardrobe by either varying tones of the same color in your clothing or adding pops of complementary colors in your accessories.

Two white fluffy dogs in bandanas — Dress up your pooch

It’s always fun to put on a bow tie or a cute bandana on your furry family member. It makes the whole experience super festive!

Two young brothers with matching outfits — Matching outfits for the kids

Matching outfits could work great with similarly aged kids and add a punch of cuteness that is unrivaled.

What to bring to the session?

I get asked this question quite often and my answer is almost always a question back: Is there something that would help you or members of your family engage better? This could mean different things to different people.

Blanket: For an outdoor location, it’s a great idea to get a blanket to lay on and chill like you all are out on a picnic!
Games/Toys: Is there a particular board game that you all enjoy playing as a family? Or perhaps you and your pooches are into some good ol’ fetch? Or maybe your children love that lego monster truck toy. Bust those out in the session. These make for great candid family shots while making the whole shoot a fun experience.
Candy/Treats: Food always bring a smile to everyone’s face. It also gives a great mid-session snack recharge for kids as well as adults! Treats are especially helpful in getting your pup or kitty to look at the camera or bring their attention back to you.

couple with a dog enjoying a picnic with balloons — Balloon and Picnic Props

A simple balloon or a picnic basket is a great way to make the session more celebratory!

Child playing with a monster truck — Blanket and Toy Props

Simple props like a blanket and your kids favorite toy can get more engagement in the session and make it fun and games!

How to pose during the session?

Posing is probably every client’s biggest worry. So let’s make it more digestible. Remember, this is not a fashion photoshoot! This is a photo session of YOU and YOUR loved ones, so relax and take a deep breath. Your photographer is not expecting you to be a model. Their job is to make this entire experience easy for you. Here are few of my tips to ease you into posing:

Share your vision: you loved a shot in your best friend’s photography session or you are hoping to get one shot of both your kids striking a particular pose. It’s best to communicate these specifics to your photographer ahead of time. Also don’t hesitate to share images of other people’s photoshoots with them for inspiration.

Mom with her two children on their porch — Getting the kids attention

Kids can lose interest quickly so it’s best to bring their attention back to the camera be it by playing their favorite music or making silly faces behind the photographer. You’d be surprised at the power of a single tap on the farting app on your phone!
Same with the pups, simple prompts like “do you wanna….” can do wonders for their attention, you may even get a cute head tilt if you’re lucky!

Woman playing with her fluffy dog — Play with your kids and pets

Some of the most fun shots in any photo session are when the family starts playing together. From goofy smiles to a loud guffaw would make for a perfect picture. This could be something as silly as chasing after your dog or tickling your children!

Portrait of a couple loving each other — Love on your partner

Snuggle your partner from behind or just surprise them with a kiss when they are not expecting it. Sometimes these reactions end up leading to great shots. If PDA is not your jam, do silly things or remember a fond memory between you two that would instantly bring a warm smile to both your faces.

Photographer prompts: Your photographer may suggest some prompts to you during the shoot. Be open to those suggestions as they usually have a vision of how it’s going to play out on the camera. Also, if you have suggestion of a prompt that can get your kids or other family members to cooperate or smile, do share them with your photographer.

What to expect after the session?

You did it! Your epic family portrait session is over, so now what?

Your photographer would walk you through the image delivery timeline, if they have not done so already. They would let you know about the turnaround time and how they would be delivering the images to you. Make sure they already have your latest contact information. Ask if the photographer can give you an online gallery to pick the images that you like as part of your preselected package.

Most photographers will deliver your images through an online gallery which has all the great edited images so you could choose the ones you want to buy. Once you’ve received your online gallery, don’t be shy to contact the photographer if you want some specific tweaks to the photos. Most photographers will be happy to accommodate such requests without a problem. When downloading the images, make sure you have the highest resolution files saved on your computer and use these files to order prints if you would like to!

I hope this is helpful to all the families that are looking into signing up for a family portrait session.

Reach out to me if you have any questions!