What to Expect at Your Family Photo Session | Buffalo, NY
Summer is coming and with it, family photo season is approaching (yay!). In light of that, I felt like it would be helpful to my clients or prospective clients to know what to expect during the actual session at a family photoshoot! Sometimes it’s even helpful to give the kids an idea of what will happen beforehand so they know what’s coming. While each shoot is different because each family is different, this is a general flow of how my sessions typically go. Yours might not go in this exact order, but that’s ok too!
First things first, I always try to arrive at the session location ahead of time so I can check out the area, see how crowded it is, check out the light, and locate a few spots that I may want to use during our session. We usually move to 2 or 3 different spots during my sessions to get a nice variety and to keep things interesting for the kids so we’re not just hanging around one spot. Kids like to move, so I like to have a few different areas in mind! Especially if they start getting antsy in one spot, sometimes getting them moving helps.
At the beginning of the session, I’ll spend a few minutes chatting with all of you and introduce myself to the kids before we start shooting. I often find that kids are either really excited to start or want nothing to do with it, so I like to start off without my camera out to give them a little time to settle in.
Once the shoot starts, I always try to get the “formal” portraits done near the beginning of the shoot - the ones with everyone smiling and looking at the camera. While I don’t do a ton of these types of portraits, I always do get some and I find that getting these done early makes the rest of the shoot more laidback - we know we have those done already and we can be more playful. We’ll then transition to photos of everyone looking at each other, laughing, tickling, etc. We’ll do some seated poses as well. Depending how the kids are feeling, I always try to get solo shots of them, sibling shots, and photos of each parent/adult with the kids too. I will be directing and prompting during each pose so you know what to do.
At the end of the shoot, we usually have time to play a little. These photos are more casual - we can let the kids play and explore and I’ll capture you and your loved ones just being yourselves. These also give your gallery more of a variety of images and are often some of my favorites!
I hope this gave you a better idea of what to expect during my sessions! Of course, sessions do not always flow exactly the same since no two families are exactly alike and I always remain flexible - sometimes I see something unfolding (like siblings being silly together or a toddler hugging mom) that I just have to capture as it happens. But these are the main things I always keep in mind to photograph.
If you are interested in a family session with me this year, please contact me for my availability! I would be honored to capture you and your loved ones.
