I know from personal experience it isn’t always easy to get my kids to cooperate for family pictures. I want to make family sessions as fun and relaxed as possible. Here are 5 ways you can prepare your little ones for a family session!

1. Make sure your little ones are rested and fed prior to the session.

It’s always hard to get kids to participate if they are hungry or tired.

2. Water! Make sure to bring water along.

We will be running around and having a blast, sometimes little ones will get extra thirsty and depending on the location their might not be a drinking fountain near by.

3. Mention the session to your child ahead of time.

But do not put pressure on them or make them feel like this is a chore. You will want your child to be prepared that a photo session is coming but not dreading it. Say things like, “We are going to take pictures together as a family and have such a fun time. We will run around, dance, and play games!”

4. Don’t coach your kids on how to smile!

Naturally as parents we are so used to telling our kids to say cheese. DO NOT do this! We do not want “fake” or scripted smiles. Let your child warm up to the photographer and let the photographer engage and try to get genuine smiles and laughter.

5. Do something fun afterwards.

So I am not necessarily telling you to “bribe” your child but if they have something fun to look forward to after the session it might make them more willing to cooperate or excited. Maybe a family ice cream date or movie date after your session.

Lets talk about the most stressful part of a session… OUTFIT PLANNING! Or at least this is the most stressful part of getting my own family ready for a family session. Here are five ways to make this process as easy as possible.

1. Plan your outfits out ahead of time.

Once this is out of the way then it’s all about the fun part, capturing you and your loved ones. Planning them out in advance will give you time to decide between options and you wont be stressed on the day of your session.

2. Lay each outfit out next to each other.

This will help give you an idea of what flows and what doesn’t.

3. Choosing your colors.

The important part is choosing colors that coordinate not necessarily match. You will want to achieve a flawless cohesive look
rather than the matchy matchy look.

4. Keep location in mind when picking out your colors.

You will want your color pallet to flow with your background. If your session is at the beach the background will be more neutral whereas if you are at a scenic location or out in a field your background might be more bold and filled with color.

5. Accessories.

Its always so much fun to spice outfits up with a few accessories. It will bring style and variation to your images. Think ties, bow ties, suspenders, stylish hats, jewelry etc.