FAQ’s for Family Portrait Sessions
Scheduling a family portrait session can often times be more overwhelming than it needs to be. I believe a lot of people just keep putting off their session because maybe it’s their very first time using a professional photographer and they just aren’t sure what to expect. I don’t blame them, the unknown is always scarier than the known.
Here are a few questions that I commonly get asked and my answers to help you have a fun and exciting family portrait session.
Should You Coordinate Your Outfits?
There is something special that just brings pure joy when we look back on family portraits. Family portraits are moments that will be cherished forever, and this is why we need to make sure everything is planned ahead of time including coordinating outfits for the entire family. Whether you are taking your annual photoshoot or trying to replace the current photo you have above the mantle, you need to make sure that your family looks their best.
There are many things to consider and keep in mind when coordinating outfits for family photos. This process may seem overwhelming at first, but it shouldn’t be very difficult. Start by focusing on outfits that will allow your photo to have a timeless feel. For example, Spring or Fall photos are recommended because those two seasons are more nuetral and as opposed to photos on the beach or decked out in winter coats. We have come up with this tips to help you coordinate your family photo shoot outfit:
Coordinating Colors Not Matching
Your outfits should have colors that coordinate well, however every family member doesn’t have to wear the same outfit. Although families represent a bond, each family is made up of individual family members. It’s important to be cohesive while also letting everyone share a bit of their personality through the photos. The last thing you want your family photos to portray is that you all are twins or almost robot looking. You can achieve a more natural look across the board by choosing two primary colors and then adding a simple tone to complete your color scheme.
For example, for the Fall family photoshoot, I would recommend blue jeans, a burnt orange color and some olive green. Or maybe you want to do khakis and a pop of red plaid.
Look At Your Home Decor
If you plan on hanging the photos in your house make sure that the color of the clothes you wear in your shoots go well with the color scheme of your home. If you want to add color to your home maybe coordinate more pops of color in your outfits. If you want to match the neutral shades of your home than choose more subtle colors.
Think About Accessories
Accessories and the small details in the outfit will make your photo look so much more fun. So, when coordinating accessories, you can have the kids play with hats or necklaces and have the father wearing a scarf or tie.
How Often Should We Do A Family Photoshoot?
Having a family portrait session is often on everyone’s mind but gets left off the to-do list often. We always want to take the time and money to get our family all in the same shot, dressed nicely, everyone smiling for the camera, but we also come up with excuses. “My kids are too wild; they’d never sit still for a picture.” “We can do it next year, no harm in skipping it again this year.” “My kids haven’t changed that much.” “I’d love to have them, but it’s too complicated to find a time, schedule and locate a photographer.”
So, the answer to this commonly asked question is – as often as you’d like. There is no rule of the socially prescribed norm for how often you should engage your family photographer. However, there are basic thoughts to be taken into consideration concerning this; for instance, you need to
1. Take Into Account Things Like The Age Of Your Kids.
They are only this age now. Soon they will be grown up or perhaps unwilling to have their photo taken. Taking family photos at several different developmental milestones throughout each child’s life are quite recommendable, such as the newborn stage, pre-school years, grade school and of course at the attainment of teenage years and maturity. This allows you to reminisce at your family’s development over the years.
2. Take Photos For Notable Events and Seasons
For example, any first days of school, finishing school, Christmas, birthdays, family vacation, awards and presentations, weddings or even a family reunion are all great reasons to schedule a family portrait session.
Most of these events encourage families to get together, so it’s an excellent opportunity to include everyone, especially distant relatives and close friends. This also allows the younger ones to enjoy time and memories spent with cousins, aunts and uncles and grandparents. However, the case may be, through pictures taken at such occasional gathering and events, later in the future.
3. Take The Weather Into Account
If you are still confused about how often to take a family holiday photo shoot, taking a family photograph during different seasons is pretty cool. Winter photos are vastly different from Summer photos. Autumn is my personal favorite because it’s a great chance to catch some colourful images like the leaves changing and include the beautiful landscape in the photos.
4. Time Doesn’t Repeat Itself, So The Best Time Is Now
Take random family portrait sessions during unexpected moments to capture precious memories.
In all, there is no limitation as to how often to take a family photo. Every one to two years would be a fantastic record of your family’s growth. It does not need to be an expensive exercise, and a good family photographer can guide you well.
What Do I Need To Know Before Booking a Photoshoot?
The million dollar question. It can be a tiring process, booking a photo shoot. There are a lot of things to be considered when thinking of booking family photos. This article is meant to help you with the right questions to ask before booking a photo shoot. You have to have answered some of these questions yourself before diving into the whole thing. The first thing you should look at is:
1. Your Budget.
How much you are planning to spend on this is going to determine who you choose to shoot with. Fact is, you probably have no idea how much you’d like to spend – which is understandable. It is hard to know how much a photographer will cost. What you should do is find a photographer whose work you truly enjoy and ask how much they will cost. Then, from there, think of how far you would be willing to go to pay for quality.
2. Imagery
What kind of imagery do you want? All that matters is your satisfaction with the style of imagery the photographer uses. If they show you a series of photos, and you like their style, then go for them, even if it means you have to spend more. Quality, not quantity, remember? Also, find someone whose images connect with you. It is a bad idea to invest your money into images that you won’t end up liking.
3. Purpose
What is the purpose of your family portrait session? Family holiday photoshoot? Christmas photo shoot? Most photographers have a photo shoot they do best. It’s the specific field where their creativity pops out. Choose a photographer who you think will get the moment exactly right before you book them.
4. Time-frame
How long will it take them to get everything done and sent to you? Every photographer has their different workflow. What might take someone a day to finish, might take another a month or two to finish because they have different projects to finish. Before booking a photo shoot, find out how fast they can get your pictures back to you if you need them by a certain day.
5. Studio or Location
Find out which is more comfortable with the photographer. However, it depends on the one you’d like to go for. If you want a home studio, and your photographer doesn’t have space, it might probably cost more if you’re hell-bent on a home studio photoshoot.
