Within the photography community, you’ll often hear photographers complain about having to shoot family sessions. They will either accept them and dread them or refuse to shoot them at all. I have to admit, that for a long time, I thought family sessions were my LEAST favorite type of session. But over time, and after starting a family of my own, I’ve realized the value in them. I’d even say they are some of my favorites and I think I have some insight into why other photographers don’t enjoy them.

It’s not going to be perfect

I think I’m talking mostly to the mommas here: your session most likely isn’t going to be perfect. Your kiddos may not behave. They may be tired or hyper or shy. Often times, they just don’t want to be still because they’re children. I completely understand feeling major disappointment when your children act up – you’ve invested a lot of time and money into having your family professionally photographed.

That said, I think this comes back to finding a photographer that you trust. I’ve had many clients tell me that they’re shocked when they get their images back because they thought there would be nothing useable. It’s easy to harshly judge your family when you can’t see what we’re seeing behind the lens. But when you trust your photographer, you know that they are trained to document the “in between” moments that make for gallery wall-worthy images!

That leads me to my next point:

Trust your photographer

Are you imagining perfectly posed family images in a studio? Or, like me, do you love candid, happy photos of your family? When choosing a family photographer, make sure you’re all on the same page. Don’t ask the studio photographer to take your candid family photos in natural light if that’s not what they normally do. And on the other hand, if you see a portfolio of work full of candid images, don’t expect posed ones at your session. It’s all about communication and finding the right fit. If you’re anything like me, you’ll want updated photos yearly (at least) so doing your research to find a great photographer will be well worth it!

Once you’ve found the perfect person to photograph your family, put your trust in them. Try to relax on photo session day and trust that they’re capturing beautiful moments. Your real life is beautiful and a good photographer is going to tell that story, I promise! If that means that your child needs extra snuggles and won’t look at the camera, look forward to those sweet photos. If that means that your littles want to run and play, I bet you’ll love those images of them just being “kids.”

Communication is KEY!

As a business owner, I’ve come to realize that communication and OVER-educating my clients is crucial for a good experience. This is the main reason why I think photographers don’t enjoy family sessions. They often complain of parents who want everything to be “picture perfect” and are overly stressed. I see this as a lack of communication. When working with families, I try to emphasize that fact that while the session may not seem perfect, I won’t leave you without feeling confident in the images I’ve captured. So basically, I’m summing up my first two points: don’t stress about things be perfect and trust your photographer. I hope that if you’ve been a family client of mine in the past, you’ve felt well taken care of, comfortable, and I’ve communicated efficiently.

I honestly believe that YOUR life is beautiful and deserves to be documented. I’d love to talk to you if you’re looking for a family photographer! You can contact me HERE.