Life passes us by quickly, and the kids grow up even faster. Before we know it, they’re walking, going to school, hitting a home run in little league, asking for the keys to the car, and heading off to college. We go through life but one time, so why do we wait to get family portraits done? Getting beautiful family portraits does not have to be complicated. Here are a few easy tips to make for a successful family portrait:
1. Actually Making It Happen: Scheduling the session around yours and everyone else’s schedules can be a tall order at times. But if you put onto paper two choices of dates that work (one being a weekday, and one being on the weekend), usually one of these will work for everyone in the portrait. Our studio is open Tuesdays thru Saturdays, and we can usually accommodate special request times as well.
2. What Time of Day?: Usually there are “morning” people and then there’s everyone else. If small children are involved, they’re usually happiest after a nap and some food. Picking a time of day around how everyone is feeling is most important.
3. What Do We Wear?: We recommend “like” clothing to show family unity. Some clients choose to dress up in formal attire, but most commonly clients will go more casual as the kids are more comfortable. Either way, be sure that everyone likes what they’re wearing. If a little boy hates wearing a necktie, you’ll see it in his photo. We also recommend “solid colors” look best in photos, avoiding stripes, patterns, big logos and characters as these all distract the viewer from your faces. And keep in mind that we may include full-length, so you may want to avoid sneakers and tube socks. A fun idea is to have everyone dress up in costume (or a theme that’s of relative interest to everyone). It can add fun to the photo and be a great conversation piece when this photo is on your wall.
4. Accessories and Stuff: A cool hat, sports equipment, a nice necklace can all add charm to a photo and really tell the viewer more about everyone. Also, be sure to bring face powder to minimize shine. We include photo retouching but there’s nothing more natural looking than not “needing” to fix skin. We’ll save the retouching for things like blemishes, whitening teeth, fly-away hairs, etc.
5. Where To Shoot?: Smaller families of 3 or 4 people can come to the studio. However most of our clients prefer “on-location” either at their homes or a scenic location of their choice. Natural environments are always a winner in portraits.
The most important tip we can share is “don’t wait!” What we put off until tomorrow usually gets put off a few years, so contact the studio today for your appointment.
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