Are you getting ready for your family photos and wondering what a session might look like? What photos will we make sure to get? These are the ones I always make sure to get for each of my clients. I like that going through this list covers all the bases, from the posed traditional portraits to the more candid, playful, and cozy photos that show your family as you really are every day. Read on to find out what my top five must-have family photos are for every single session!
1. The holiday card photo
This one is so often the reason clients book their session. We look at the calendar and realize, gosh, I need to get those cards out! But when we go to design the card, we realize our photos aren’t up to date: the kids are taller, a loose tooth finally fell out, the tufts of baby hair are pigtails now, or the littlest one can finally walk. Or maybe you’re great at remembering to snap photos of the kids on your phone, but there’s one problem: you’re not IN any of those photos! The holiday card photo is that one photo where you can see everyone clearly, see how they’ve changed, and more importantly, see everyone in the family together.
2. The having fun together photo
Speaking of together, you know what it’s like when you’re all piled on the couch on a Sunday movie night, cuddled together? Let’s document that. This is the photo where you get cozy, nuzzle, play, or laugh together, and these are ALWAYS my favorite.
3. The Thing you won’t be able to do much longer
They’re getting bigger. Pretty soon you won’t be able to toss them up in the air, pretty soon they’ll be running instead of taking unsteady steps, pretty soon they’ll be taller than you when they hug you, oh, my mama heart! Let’s do some of those things and savor them just a little longer so you can remember them always in photographs.
4. Portrait of Each Parent with Each Child
This is a favorite of mine to capture! I know I treasure that I have photos of myself as a child with each of my parents, and that’s a gift I want to give not just to my own kids but to my client’s kids as well. Sometimes these are quicker photos with all the kids with each parent at a time. But I love being able to take time to honor the individual relationship each child has with each parent by giving them their own special portrait time.
5. The Movement Photo
Often, this is a photo of the whole family walking together, but sometimes I love to do photos of the family dancing: parents slow dancing while crazy energetic dancing happens around them, or a daddy-daughter dance with lots of twirls! Either way, it’s a great opportunity to show the family having fun in a natural environment. I personally love walking photos of our family because it’s something we do so often that it’s our natural state: hiking together through a park or walking through our neighborhood. A photo of that reflects some of my best memories of our family at this stage.
Ready to schedule your session to capture these five must-haves for your own family? Reach out to me on the contact page and we’ll chat!
