My ingredients for a successful photo shoot?
- Pre-planning
- Lots of communication
- Keep the kids happy
- Keep the parents relaxed
Pre-Planning
For this family, I made sure to scout out Bull Creek before their session since it’s been so dry (until recently). But if you squint, the dead brown leaves and golden hour light kind of resemble fall colors 😉
Communication
From my client questionnaire, I knew this family had recently moved, and the mom wanted a few pics at their new house before we went to the park.
Keep the Kids Happy
Whether it’s asking them silly questions or letting them take the lead on exploring, I always like to collaborate on ideas during a family photo session.
Keep the Parents Relaxed
I find that giving specific posing instructions makes some families feel more comfortable in front of the camera. And my favorite is just letting the kids love on their parents – that usually gets my favorite images from the whole shoot.
And once we get the posed shots….
… I always leave time to play around.
And one extra fun thing from this family’s photo session – from chatting at the park, the Dad and I realized that we used to work together at the Daily Texan back in the mid-90s. And even flew to Boulder, CO together to cover a UT Football game (him writing / me shooting it). Thank you to online archives for this photographic evidence from 1996!
Please enjoy this sneak peek of this family’s photo session. To see all the files, visit their (password protected) online gallery HERE.
1. How do you know Stephanie Friedman Photography?
Stephanie/s kids and our kids have been at the same school and even same grade. Over the years, I have seen Stephanie’s photographs because of her willingness to help out and generously donate her time and talents to the school. I knew it would be easy and stress free to use her for our family photo session since my kids know her already. Plus, I always love her work.
Check out PreK Sam at my first school photo booth “The Bubbles in the bubbles”
2. What was your favorite part of your photo session?
It was a beautiful evening at Bull Creek. I loved being down there in the “golden hour” as Stephanie called it. Plus, Stephanie was super patient and willing to humor my kids with their ideas as they were excited to explore.
3. What advice would you give to other families planning a photo session?
Stay calm. Don’t let it stress you out and try to have fun with it. Picking outfits can seem so difficult (for me) but as long as you stay relatively simple, it wasn’t too hard.
4. Anything else you’d like to add?
Thanks for taking the time and being so pleasant to work with. I know it was so hot, but you made it enjoyable and really took the time to make sure you got what you needed.
If you’d like to book your own family photo session this year, contact me below: