How to make the most out of your family portrait experience!
As a Los Angeles Family Photographer we always aim for our sessions to be a fun, relaxed experience. Prepping for a family session can be stressful for parents, especially with young children, so once you’re in front of our camera, we want to take the reins and help you get the most out of your family portrait experience, while leaving the stress behind.
Even if you’re not shooting with Little Blue World Photography, we’ve prepped a lot of useful tips to help maximize your experience, as well as create timeless portraits that you’ll have forever.
Let’s start with the basics, how do you dress yourself and your family? The first thing we always tell clients is that they’ll be looking back at these portraits for the rest of their lives. Keep clothing timeless so you don’t look back and have a bad 80s flashback. So, let’s weed out some of the things that do not photograph well or cause issues at your session.
What to Avoid!
Neon colors (especially on kid’s shoes)
Checkered patterns
Outfits with tiny thin lines (will create a moire pattern in camera)
Logos and Graphics
Bold patterns that may distract from the portrait
High Heels (we’ll be walking on uneven ground)
Tops that fall down with movement (you’ll be moving a lot and don’t want to bend over with a loose shirt)
And lastly, avoid putting your children in anything that can’t be cleaned. We love to capture kids being kids in our portraits, so sometimes they will get dirty climbing around, or taking a fall.
What photographs well?
Jewel tones always photograph amazing, no matter the setting. You don’t want to completely blend with your background, so think about where you’ll be taking your portraits. If you’re at the beach, you probably don’t want to wear all white or all light blue as you’ll blend with the water and the sky.
If your hair is long and it’s a windy day, think about pinning up at least the front a little to keep it out of your face. The same rules apply for kids.
You can find lots of inspiration by looking through our handy outfit guide and also over on this board on Pinterest! Always ask your photographer for recommendations if you’re not sure.
Tips!
This should be a fun, relaxed experience. Rewards work great for older children and bribes work great for little ones. We recommend having water and snacks on hand as they can help relax anxious kids who are nervous about this process. Bring their favorites.
We know it can be frustrating for adults to try and get kids to cooperate and here is what works best: leave it to us. We do this on a regular basis, uncooperative children are our specialty. Your job is to show them that this is a fun activity for the whole family. If you’re stressed and require a high set of expectations, then they will be stressed about pleasing you and cooperating. Let us work with them directly and take some pressure off of you for once! This will yield natural smiles for everyone!
Where do you usually take pictures?
Little Blue World Photography is based out of Los Angeles, but we typically shoot all over. Our most popular locations are in Santa Clarita, Pasadena, Antelope Valley, San Fernando Valley, and Ventura. We will also shoot on location at your home or even in your backyard! Just let us know what you’re looking for and we can start planning a location and you can start planning for your session!
