What’s up, photography fam?! I am so excited to sit down this afternoon and blog my heart out to share five tips for awesome family photographs. As a mom of three and a family photographer based in Northwest Arkansas, this is a subject near and dear to my heart and I’m so stoked to share my thoughts on this!

I’m going to hop right into it today so let’s go! You’re going to love this!!

One: Snack Packs!

We’ve all been there:  You’ve planned your session for months, spent hours picking out the perfect outfits and, the day of the shoot, everything goes a little haywire. The baby misses their nap and traffic is horrible and your hair isn’t working properly but then the worst happens: you’ve forgotten a snack and your three year old is HANGRY. And come to think of it?  You’re pretty dang hangry, too!

I recommend giving your kids a snack roughly thirty minutes before your shoot. This should tide them over but, if you’ve got a super hungry little one, definitely bring along a snack pack! I do not recommend suckers, candy, fruit snacks, or anything sticky for treats at a family session. Here’s some ideas instead!

Food to bring: cheese, pretzels, goldfish crackers, cereal, rice crisps, yogurt melts for toddlers and puffs for babies ten months and up (just make sure there’s no powdered cheese on them!), water to drink.

Two: Coordinate Outfits with One Person

As a photographer, outfits are a breeze! As a mom, I feel the struggle.

Over the years, I’ve tried many different ways to help with outfits but, eventually, I realized it boiled down to this: Give one person in your family an outfit (or piece!) with multiple colors and then have everyone else’s outfit tie back to that specific piece. This is a super easy method and helps everyone coordinate without overthinking a certain color theme and without outfits feeling too matchy-matchy.

And so y’all know I practice what I preach! Below, you’ll see a few photographs of my family taken by my dear friend Steph Smith. When picking out my family’s outfits, I tied everyone’s outfit to my green kimono and loved the results! By tying the outfits back, you’re able to create cohesiveness and still leave room for personality (Henry’s lion shirt! Andrew’s blue shoes!) without adding any visual conflict.

Two and a Half: Don’t Force Kids Into Clothes They Hate

I get it. Getting kids dressed for photoshoots can be a huge struggle, if not a total war.

My oldest son Max will wear pretty much anything if he knows it’s only for an hour or two. My second? Not so much. Henry doesn’t even like to wear jeans (the jeans in the photos above feel like sweatpants, lol) so I pick and choose my battles. If I dressed him in a button down and dress pants, he would sulk and pull faces though our whole family session. So, instead of fighting that battle, we agree on clothes ahead of time and I often give him two options to pick from on the day of the shoot. Every kid is different, of course, but Henry does way better if I let him pick his outfit from options I’ve laid out for him.

I also stopped buying “photo only” type clothes several years back and that’s helped me let go a bit because I’m no longer annoyed that I bought something for photographs that he won’t wear. I buy new clothes for photoshoots occasionally but, mostly, we pull from what we already own. Comfort is key!

Three: Pack a favorite toy, book, or blanket

This one’s pretty self explanatory but I absolutely love how a fun blanket, favorite toy, or treasured book can add so much value + nostalgia to family photographs. Your toddler won’t always love his stuffed bunny. Your five year old won’t always want to carry a beaded heart purse. Think of these items as fun memories that you’ll get to relive every time you look at your photographs. I promise, they’ll mean so much to you later on!

Other props are a blast, too! Flowers, bubbles, costumes, and even something as simple as a hoola hoop, basketball, or skateboard can make kids have so much fun during family photographs.

Happy Kids = Happy Photos. That’s what we want, right?

Four: Bring (or Plan!) an Activity

Y’all. This. is. everything.

With family photographs, it’s really easy to get stuck on traditional: a beautiful field, beautiful family, beautiful clothes. I love these types of photographs so much and there’s a reason they’re classic.

Not every shoot needs to be classic, though! There’s so many other routes to take and I freaking love them. As a photographer who loves color + crazy light and a mom who loves chaos (hahaha), I am all about fun family photographs. Shooting in an ice cream parlor? I’m in! Photographs in your family’s pool? Also in! Pictures of your kids painting in a messy playroom or photographs of them running barefoot in your backyard garden? Yes, please!! The options for family photographs are limitless. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box!

Want to do a fun activity but feel stuck? Just let me know. We’ll plan something brilliant.

Four and a Half: Location. Location. Location.

I love a unique location! But more than that? I love a location where your kids feel comfortable. My go-to location for family photographs is my clients’ homes. It doesn’t have to be indoors – sometimes just a front porch will do! – but I love shooting in spaces where kids feel safe and happy and full of joy. For many, that’s home. It could also be a favorite local store (greenhouses are so fun with kids!), a favorite outdoor restaurant, a favorite park, or a favorite spot in town. Where are they happiest? Let’s shoot there!

Not super invested on where the shoot is and have kids over the age of five? Let your kids pick the spot from two or three different options! I recently held a family shoot against local wall murals and the kids had the final say in what murals we shot with. The shoot was magic for them and the photos were amazing.

Five: Let Them Have Fun

Most important thing you can do for family photographs? Let your kids party!

We all want a photograph with everyone looking at the camera with huge grins on their faces and I am going to do everything I can to get you that. But! That’s just a few photographs out of a whole gallery. At your family session in Northwest Arkansas, your kids should play and have so much fun! They should spin and jump and laugh and tell funny stories. Let them make goofy faces and have a blast getting their photograph taken. Let them ham it up! I promise, if you do this, you’ll have a blast getting those photographs back and cherish them even more than you could ever say in years to come. Kids grow so fast, y’all! Let’s catch those memories!

P.S. Worried about a meltdown? No big! Meltdowns don’t scare me.

Ready for awesome + happy family photographs? Book your session today!

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