Family photos are a great keepsake, no matter how old the kids get. But coordinating outfits, coming up with ideas and making sure everyone is behaving can be a little overwhelming, especially if you don't have a creative vibe. So how can you capture the special moments without it being too much?
Relax
The best part of your session should be the overall experience. Putting too much pressure on your family and yourself for the perfect picture will show in the photos. That's not what you want! Laugh, play around and show your real personalities.
A great photographer can help make this process happen. They prepare you for your session as much as possible by: answering questions on what to wear or even give you tips to consider, helping you think of what the end result of the images is to determine the location and prepare for the types of photos to capture, and may talk with you ahead of time on specific ways to make your family feels at ease.
Coordinate
But you don't have to match! A good rule is to have a color or color scheme that pieces everyone together without it being overloaded. Choose one or two neutral colors and an accent color! For example, if your family decides on red, everyone should have something red as a part of their outfit. The men could wear red button downs with black pants, while the women wear red dresses or black dresses with red accessories.
You want to avoid completely mismatching outfits as well, even if the “theme/color of choice" is still featured. This means that if your son dresses super sporty and your daughter dresses in band tees, both (and everyone else) needs to agree on something.
It's also important to coordinate with the background and the season/holiday of the photos. If you're taking spring photos where there are lots of yellows and pinks from flowers, you shouldn't show up in olive tones and mustard yellow.
Props
Props can be very beneficial, especially if you or a family member fidget with your hands or feel awkward taking photos. They, of course, should be practical and make sense. Mini chalkboards with the families name or a family joke written on it are popular, paper umbrellas with the selected color and white/black details for spring and summer shoots are cute and fitting, and ornaments for the holidays or a chair or fence to rest their hands on are a great addition.
If you have any questions or ideas in regards to your photo session, reaching out to the photographer is never a bad thing either! They will gladly do all they can to help make your session more memorable.