Fall is finally upon us in North Carolina. And by that I mean, it is no longer a million degrees outside every minute of the day, and you can actually open a window to catch a cooler breeze.
This means it is family photo season! The leaves are starting to change, the pretty grass is getting tall and the weather is ripe for families to don their matching outfits and get outside for some updated family portraits.
I had two different family photoshoots this past weekend. The families were absolutely lovely, and I truly enjoyed capturing this moment in time for them to cherish forever.
But each photoshoot presented its own challenges for me as a photographer. Let me tell you about the challenges, and how to overcome them if you face similar obstacles in the future.
1. Littles are adorable, but can be hard to get comfortable with you and the camera.
The first family had two children under the age of five. Unfortunately it can be challenging wrangling the attention and energy of littles during a family photoshoot. Especially when you don’t have a helper and are taking the photos solo.
Their little two year-old was definitely a little cautious of me in general, and of smiling for photos in particular to start. She wouldn’t let go of her mama, and cried any time we tried to separate them. To help combat this I spent most of the photo session talking directly to the children instead of the adults.
Yes, this might seem a little backwards as the adults are the ones paying for the portraits. However, getting on the little ones’ level and chatting them up during the session ensures that they will be more willing to cooperate.
Better cooperation means better pictures, which is exactly why the adults hired you! I promise it will end up being a win for all parties if you focus on the kids!
The little ones also brought stuffies to help during the session. I spent time talking to the stuffies and letting the littles keep them in the photos until they felt comfortable enough to smile on their own.
Making sure that I got full family portraits first was essential, as the two year-old hit a wall midway during the session. She flat out refused to let go of her stuffy and water bottle, which meant picture time was done for her.
The only thing that added a little bit more time to our session for her was a little treat I brought for her and her brother. I always keep either mini marshmallows or organic fruit snacks in my camera bag.
These small treats are easy for the kids to eat, don’t show up in the photos while they are eating them and can add precious moments to your photoshoot.
Overall, the pictures ended up being amazing, and I was even able to capture family moments where the whole crew was smiling.
As someone that refuses to use photoshop to doctor actual images, and will only use Lightroom to alter small settings, this was essential to providing a great album for the family.
My second photoshoot was with slightly older kids, which eases the difficulty of stranger danger, but presented its own challenges.
2. Families with multiple small children might fight over attention, and therefore not follow directions.
I absolutely loved taking photos of the three children in the next family, and followed my tips above. However, their youngest always wanted to be the center of attention and therefore loved acting like a goofball and not following directions.
This caused the parents to get frustrated and could have shifted the vibe of the photoshoot from one of happy silly family togetherness to strict uncomfortable moments. Lucky for you I have some navigation tips that will help keep the vibes light and playful.
First, I let the kids act up and get silly. I acknowledged what was happening and let it go for a few shots before I asked them to get back to my directions.
When the kids were allowed to kick the grass or pull up the flowers in between focused family shots it helped them keep it together for the important ones.
I also took a lot of photos of just the kids. They wanted their time to shine, so I let them. Once they got their moments it was easier to convince them to behave for the full family photos.
Finally, I gave them some ownership of our decision making. I let each child choose their own spot for pictures, slightly maneuvering them once we arrived to ensure we would get the light and setting that would look best.
They loved choosing where they got to take their photos, which made them behave better once we got to each new location.
Fall family portrait season is one of my favorites. There is something magical about seeing a family in their matching outfits at a beautiful location and having the honor of capturing that moment in time. I’m truly thankful to call this a job.
What obstacles have you faced during your photoshoots? Add your tips in the comments!
