When my Family Portrait clients tell me which images they love from my website, they often add something like, 'But we'll probably be too awkward for a shot like that'.
The thing is, it's my job to get that shot, not yours! And, believe me, I'll get that shot of you and you'll love it! Let me walk you through how I create joy-filled images like these for your unique family.
Behind the Scenes of a Family Portrait Session
Breaking the Ice
After I introduce myself and explain the session plan so we are all on the same page, I start us off with something simple. I know some may have nerves or are shy so I will have your group stand with parents in the middle and kids (depending on the ages) around them. I will take a few shots with everyone looking at me. I know I will have some trouble engaging the kids. They may already feel awkward and now they are in an unfamiliar setting and may not feel comfortable. To help relieve this feeling I play a little game.
For families with older children, I ask the kids to look at the person I describe, Like "Who is the last one ready in the morning?" or "Who is the loudest/quietest?". This is the icebreaker, I'm not asking too much emotionally and it helps get them comfortable with me directing them and now they are laughing and having fun.
For families with younger children, I have the kids focus on my camera mascot, Monty. I ask questions about Monty which breaks the ice and gets them comfortable and most times laughing.
Action Poses
One of my favorite poses to use for the younger kids is an action pose. How I set this up is fairly simple. I ask the parents to sit on the ground in a comfortable position by guiding them on the best ways to do so. Lady's have their legs mermaid style and men have one knee up, resting an arm on their knee and the other foot going under the raised leg. I tell them to smile and be prepared for what's coming.
Next, I have the children stand a few feet behind the parents and tell them 'When I say go, run and hug mom and dad". I'll get immediate smiles and I'll snap a few before they run. When I say go, the kiddos run with all their might to their parents and the smiles and laughter I get are perfection. It's the same pose, but every family has a unique final image.
Look at each other
Depending on the age I'll ask a slightly different question. For under 2, I'll ask the parent to look at their child and try to get their attention or play with them while I take shots. For the ones under 10, I ask them to tell me what color their parent's eyes are, this gives them something to do and think about and they get excited to tell me the answer. Teenagers for some reason when I ask them to look at each other will burst into laughter. I don't have to do too much because the unique family relationship will naturally come out and that's exactly what I want from my clients.
My goal is to capture joy and emotive images without the stress of child behavior or images with no emotion. I do this by using the family's unique interests, child ages and energy, in engaging and fun activities that moms can be confident that I will capture their family.
If seeing the behind-the-scenes of a Family Portrait Session made you feel more confident that this sounds like something that will work for your family, let's talk!
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