SESSION PREP
Noel Photography and Design strives for family sessions to be stress free and easy. To help families prepare for every aspect of their shoot I’ve created a detailed guide to help you with every step. From choosing outfits to getting kids excited for their session.
CHOOSING OUTFITS
FOR IMMEDIATE FAMILY
Please note the following are just guidelines, not strict rules. Families should always choose clothes they love AND feel comfortable and confident wearing.
COORDINATING > MATCHING
Trying to make everyone match can be too difficult when finding pieces from different brands for men, women and children. Matching also doesn’t allow each individual to stand out in your portraits. Instead I recommend finding outfits that coordinate or complement with one another. This creates a visually balanced image simply by using color. Use the following guidelines to build out your family outfits.
CREATE A COLOR SCHEME.
Choose a small season-inspired or favorite color palette of 3-4 colors. Be sure your selections include at least one or two neutrals such as white, ivory, tan, beige, gray, greige, brown, navy, charcoal or black.
A color scheme creates a soft boundary to help you streamline what to look for when choosing individual outfits. Avoid getting too close-minded, like putting girls in only one color and boys in another. Rather incorporate quiet patterns/textures with solids throughout the entire family. Just be mindful to not mix too many patterns together.
LET MOM LEAD THE WAY
It’s no secret Mama is most often the one to organize the family for portraits. We just want everything to look just right! In addition to choosing a color palette it sometimes helps for Mom to start with her outfit first.
Sometimes this means choosing your outfit first within the color palette you’ve already selected OR choose your color palette based off an outfit you already have and love.
MATCHING WITH CARE
It’s human nature to find joy in matching with your mini-me, or to have siblings in a similar aesthetic. If you choose to have matching outfits try to keep no more than just a couple people in the same outfit, pattern or color. Adding some contrast to the other individuals in your group can then help add some variety to your color scheme.
EXTENDED FAMILY OUTFITS
When selecting outfits for extended family it gets more complicated trying to coordinate 10-15-20+ people. In which case, my best advice is for everyone to first agree upon a color scheme as described above. Then use a platform, like Pinterest®, to find a visual to share with the group. This way there’s no argument about things like, “what does burgundy mean?” Let each family select their outfits using the suggestions listed above, while reminding everyone to not get too crazy with patterns.
PREPARING KIDS FOR PORTRAITS
My best piece of advice? Let go of expectations. Part of taking family portraits is capturing who your family is here and now. This season won’t last forever, so I encourage parents to sit back and let whatever happens happen. Your family won’t be my first or last with a shy, wiggly, unenthusiastic, or silly child.
TO HELP YOUR CHILD(REN) PREPARE:
• TALK ABOUT THE SESSION
As soon as you book your shoot start sharing with your kids about what we’ll be doing and why we’re doing it. Hype them about having family time to play, laugh and be silly. That everything we’ll be doing is for fun, and so you’ll be able to hang something on the wall to remember the fun you had.
• ENCOURAGE ADVENTURE
Part of hyping up the session can be getting the kids excited to visit somewhere new. Tell them you want to bring them on a big adventure to see new places. Many kids can’t wait for the idea of exploration.
• INTRODUCE ME BEFORE THE SESSION
Every so often take a minute to visit my “about me” page and show your kiddos my picture. Share a little about me and that I’ll be having fun with your family the day of the session. Doing so helps them feel as though we’ve met already so the shoot doesn’t feel like an introduction.
• LET ME DO MY PART
When it comes to interacting with your child(ren) I will always follow your lead while incorporating some of my own tips and tricks. The easiest way I can connect to them is through play. This is a great way to break the ice, get those playful portraits that capture who they are, and 9 times out of 10 it naturally leads to those “picture perfect” moments.