Family Checklist for preparing your family session

Things To Do Before Your Session:

1. Make hair, nail, and/or makeup appointments for before your session. Make sure your roots are touched up and you aren’t wearing chipped nail polish to your session! These are small details but i dont want you to forget.
2. Plan your outfits —don’t wait ‘til the last day, trust me! You want to wake up feeling relaxed and prepared, so plan these details out early. Feel free to text me photos of your wardrobe if you’re having a hard time choosing! I’m happy to help.
3. Prepare your kids (and spouse!) with laid-back, low-key references to let them know how it will be. Tell them you will be “hanging out with our friend Brittany on Saturday!” or “going to the park to play!” and keep things fun, lighthearted, and casual. Families have shared that this tip is especially helpful if they have a particularly shy child.

How to Dress for Your Session:

1. Obviously, dress for the weather! We want everyone comfortable!
2. Don’t wear matching clothes— no more jeans-and-matching-shirts these days! Instead, wear colors in a complimentary color palette, such as earth tones and neutrals. I always recommend to coordinate clothes vs "Matching". Color Selection: Coordinate your outfits by finding a color palette you love and finding pieces that compliment one another. Choose 2-3 main colors, and maybe one accent pop of color. Neutrals are always a great idea and a great place to start. Feel free to start with neutral colors like white, gray and cream. Then add pops of color that speak to you as a family. Avoid neon and fluorescent colors, greens and all black. Avoid large graphics, logos or writing. Avoid small stripes or dots, as they may warp in camera.
3. Avoid tennis shoes, T shirts, or shirts with writing on them!
4. Be careful about undergarments. sometimes editing out bra straps or panty lines is difficult and time-consuming and not easy to do.. Choose clothes that properly covers your undergarments, in all types of movement scenarios.
5. I recommend women wear medium or long dresses instead of pants because they capture movement and generally photograph more flatteringly. Short dresses will be a challenge when we do any seated photos, so keep that in mind.
6. Wear comfortable shoes and clothes you can move in. If your dress gets suddenly too short when you bend over, or your pants are too tight to sit down in, opt for more breathable pieces. Be prepared to move!
7. Do opt for accessories! Bowties, suspenders, hats, flower headbands, chunky scarves, beautiful flowing dresses and skirts—these create visual interest and movement in your photos, and really help the images stand apart.
8. If you have a little girl with bright or chipped nailpolish on, go ahead and remove it. Neon pink and vibrant turquoise nails will almost undoubtedly clash with your beautiful wardrobe choice, and yes, it will show up in the photos.
9. Remind gentlemen to take bulky items like phones and car keys out of their pockets before we start snapping photos and they can place that in my bag or your bag.

What to Bring to Your Photo Session:

1. Any personal appearance touchup items you might want, including things like lipstick or a hairbrush.
2. Snacks on snacks on snacks, and if necessary, treats to bribe kiddos with! (However, it’s best not to tell kids about the treats before the session; wait until the kids start getting fatigued before you pull out candy card! They’ll usually perk right up then!) Also, make sure the snacks/treats won’t stain lips or fingers!
3. Walkable shoes. We will probably be walking short/moderate distances on unpaved trails, possibly with hills. Walkable shoes are a must! If you just love your wedges, bring them to change into before we start shooting.
4. A change of clothes for the kiddos, in case anyone gets muddy or dirty. As a photographer, I love when kids interact fully with their surroundings, and I’m thrilled to photograph them playing in water or running through the grass. As a parent, you might not be too keen to let them back into your car, covered in mud. Feel free to bring a change of clothes or shoes. Maybe even a towel. You never know!!
5. A Drink . Just kidding! (kind of!) But seriously, if a beer will loosen up hubby a bit beforehand, I totally support it :)

How to Pose During Your Photo Session:

This is the most important part of this whole blog post, so be sure to read carefully!

1. No need to ‘smile look at the camera’! I’m chasing natural interactions and unposed moments with some moments of "Hey look here!". I strive to capture and encourage authentic expressions. No need to coax your children into fake smiles!
2. On a related note, children around the ages of 5-10 will sometimes try to “cheese” in the photos, because that’s what they’ve been conditioned to do when they see a camera! and thats totally fine! try and go with what the children are doing. (I.E if they hug you, hug back. If they look at your earrings let them) Help me create more candid shots by interacting playfully with your children.
3. Laugh, play, tickle, and snuggle. This is how we’ll capture the REAL moments.
4. Not everyone has to be looking at the camera. Actually, I usually encourage my gentlemen to NOT look at the camera. (they seem to prefer that, as well!) I like to especially encourage my dads to focus on their partners and their kids.
5. When in doubt, just smile and look at your family lovingly.
6. Stand close together. Actually, as close as possible :)
7. Relax, slow down, and don’t force anything. Don’t feel pressured to make everything perfect! Just be present with your family and I’ll do the rest. And don’t stress if any of the kids get fussy! As a former teacher and thoroughly experienced photographer, I’ve seen it all before, trust me. Just snuggle your kiddos and we can still capture beautiful images :)
8. Expect me to move you around to different spots to capture images. The more variety we get, the bigger your gallery and the more great shots we have the opportunity to create together!
9. HAVE FUN, LIVE IN THE MOMENT!

What to Expect After Your Session:

After your session, your work is almost done! You can let your hair down, put your feet up, and relax a little bit.

1. After your session, I will be working hard behind the scenes to cull the best photos (eliminating duplicates, blurs, and blinks) Your gallery is typically ready within 2 weeks of your session.
2. Depending on your package, I will soon deliver a watermarked proofing gallery so you can select your favorite images to keep, or upgrade your package after seeing the photos.
3. Look online (such as the Pinterest links I sent you!) for ideas about wall gallery displays. There are tons of beautiful ideas for every style and budget. In your online gallery, you can conveniently order high quality prints, framed photos, and canvases,
4. Download and back up your images. online gallery will be up for 6 months! you are responsible for downloading them!
5. you can order more images for your gallery! i price them either per image, in group of 10 or 25 images.