How to prepare for your family or group photography session
Congratulations on setting up your family or group session! Here are all the details to think about before shoot day. If you have any questions, please get in touch with me.
My sessions are a mixture of documentary and me guiding you with positions and poses. We’re going for natural-looking images, so fear not - no corny poses around here!
Choosing a Location
What kind of setting speaks to your group: Urban? Green and foresty? Ocean-side? Perhaps equally, an at home shoot is the most fitting and provides opportunity for capturing your family or group in the place you spend your most time.
Whichever setting you’re pulled to the most is the one to go for.
I have lots of suggestions for locations we can talk about when discussing your session if you’re open to ideas!
What to Wear
I recommend coordinating outfits for a family session to a certain extent as it creates cohesivity between all involved. This doesn't have to mean you all wear matching outfits (although totally feel free to do so if you feel called). Some things you can consider to create cohesion are:
👉🏽 Pick a colour palette - soft pastel colours; primary colours; or maybe two colours with different tones
👉🏽 Choose a colour that each person will wear as part of their outfit. Eg one person wears navy blue tights (and other colours for the rest of their outfit), one person wears navy blue trousers, one person, a navy blue head scarf. You get the idea!
👉🏽 Have a mixture of people wearing a pattern and block colour clothing, and keep one of the colours in the pattern consistent with other's outfits
Outfit Tips
👉🏽 Colourwise - anything goes, however, with fabric patterns, please be mindful of avoiding small patterns like lots of tiny little dots or stripes, as they don’t translate so well into an image. The same goes for logos - avoid wearing anything with a big logo across the front if possible.
👉🏽 Make sure your clothes are clean, stain free and ironed so the materials sit just right.
👉🏽 Choose items without excessive bobbling!
What to bring
Just bring yourselves! Avoid bringing anything that you won’t be using during the shoot, eg bags, extra clothes etc as I’m unable to balance holding things along with my cameras.
If you have young children, a few fun props you could think about bringing are: bubbles to blow, a favourite toy.
Furry Friends
Have a furry friend in your family who will be part of your shoot? Make sure to bring extra treats for them during the session just in case we need that extra incentive for them to be on their best behaviour!
