What to Expect from an Outdoor Family Photo Shoot
Chances are many of my readers can remember the stale, highly posed portraits their own parents used to take them to at places like JC Penney, Sears, or if you were really lucky, Glamour Shots.
Sears or JCP circa who knows when???
Very Glamour-Shoty except their my HS Senior photos circa 1993!!! Don’t judge and don’t date me…
Well thank the Lord those days are long gone! Photographers nowadays are more storyteller than stale, and while each one has a unique vision and direction for their photo shoots, we’re all trying to achieve one thing…tell YOUR story in the most authentic way possible! For me personally, I love to shoot outside where there is room to run and play and explore. Where there is light abundant. And where moments have space to grow and take shape and evolve naturally. So to the best of my ability, I try to get my families outside where we have space to create something memorable together.
I love to shoot with a more candid approach, capturing moments between my clients as they happen rather than orchestrating and over-posing. This approach is called the lifestyle approach. The Lifestyle Photography approach (according to Wikipedia) is aimed at capturing and documenting real life events, situations, or milestones, in an artistic manner and the art of the every day. So while I may try to capture some classically posed pictures, I will spend the majority of my time gently prompting you through the entire session, encouraging you into different family interactions and then stepping back and letting your story unfold naturally.
And just a quick note about children…they can be highly unpredictable and non-compliant. I’m here to tell you that’s OK! There’s nothing natural about standing still and looking forward.
They made my brother sit too long…but still one of my favorite family photos!
Kid’s are natural movers and shakers and I want my families to rest easy knowing that I’m ok with movement and exploration. What I want is to follow your littles around a bit and capture them in their element, see what piques their interest in the surrounding landscape. Yes you want to remember those smiling happy faces but, as a parent myself, I also know you want to remember all of the in between moments too. So if those kiddos don’t want to sit still just let them go or join them and let’s see what happens together.
OK, onward…
Here is a typical shot list that I try to accomplish at each of my family sessions:
Posed all together family shots: Yup, we gotta at least try to get these so let’s do them towards the beginning when everyone has more stamina.
Child / Parent shots: I like to get pictures of each parent with each kid individually and then each parent with their children collectively.
Couple shots: The last time you likely posed for a pic just the two of you together was your wedding. I love photographing couples, as parents we need to remember that we are not old and stale (as our kids would have us believe at times). So get ready to put your puckers together because I do love me some kissing / cuddling shots.
Portrait shots: Because each of your children is individual and unique you should have a pic of each of them that represents and draws out that uniqueness.
Sibling shots: This is where things usually start to devolve but I find getting them to make silly faces or telling each other jokes helps them interact naturally…and in return you get natural smiles, giggles, and laughs!
All the Rest: These pictures are what I like to call the “artsy-fartsy” pictures. These may include close-ups or detail shots, think baby toes or cropped in snuggles. I also like to play with the sun a lot and usually try to capture some sun flares. And you might just see me whip out a prism or ziploc bag to create some cool effects.
When all is said and done, I not only want you to look back on your gallery of photos and think fondly of that time in your lives, I want you to look back and remember how you felt during that time in your life. So if you’re looking to get up to an adventure, laugh a lot, and create something memorable together then I’m your girl. I can’t wait to hear from you!
All My Love,
