Vancouver is such a beautiful city. There are so many amazing locations for family photos! Once you have chosen one of the many gorgeous locations that this city has to offer and planned out your outfits, what else should you do before for your family photography session? How can you better prepare so that you can rock your family photography session? Here is a list of my best tips so that you can get those images that you and your family will treasure forever.

(If you are still unsure about your family’s outfits for your session, check out my blog post for some great styling tips!)

Here is my list of tips and tricks so that you and your family will rock your upcoming family photo session:

Tip #1: Avoid distractions

Empty your pockets
Guys, please empty your pockets! Men tend to keep everything in their pockets. Objects such as wallets, cell phones, and keys show up as awkward bulges in your images.

Ladies, remove your hair ties from your wrist and make sure you are wearing a bra that won’t show straps or show through your top (unless its pretty and you want it to 🙂 )

 

Tip #2: Take care of the details

Treat yourself to a manicure, or give yourself a nice treatment at home.
I love to document little moments like the way your little one holds your hand as you walk, or the way that your hand fits perfectly into your significant other’s. Taking care of these details ensures there are no distractions such as chipped nail polish.

Tip #3: Don’t worry about your kids cooperating

Kids will rarely want to do what we want them to do! Don’t stress about your kids “behaving” or smiling nicely for the camera. Leave that to me 🙂 If you are focused on telling them what to do, it will show on your face in your pictures. Instead, play with your kids, tickle them, snuggle them, and the smiles and sweet little moments will happen naturally!

There are, however, a few things that I find can distract the little ones for long enough to get some great images!

1. Bring snacks for your little ones (try to avoid messy food that will end up on their faces or clothing).

2. Bring baby/ toddler’s favorite toys

3. Make a day of it and plan a special treat at the end such as a family dinner at their favorite restaurant.

Tip #4: Ignore the camera

Most of my client’s favorite images are the ones that capture a candid moment between family member. Although I will take a few images with everyone looking at the camera, this isn’t my primary focus as a lifestyle photographer.

Focus on each other, not the camera. Unless I ask you to look at the camera, completely ignore me! 🙂 My job is to capture the true connection between you and your family members. All you need to do is play, snuggle, and dance with each other and I will do the rest! Take this time to observe your little ones. Hold them close, look into their sweet eyes, analyze their tiny features, tell them how much you love them, hold their face or play with their hair. This moment is about you and your family.

Are your kids not listening? Let me worry about that! If you are reprimanding them or focusing on trying to get them to listen, your face will show it! Smile through it and let me guide them where they need to be. If one pose or game doesn’t work for them, we will just move on to the next!

Tip #5: Have fun and let your hair down 🙂

No one family is the same, and I believe that is to be celebrated! Let’s have some fun and feel the wind in our hair. Take your shoes off and play in the sand with your little ones, maybe even dip your toes in the water! Roll around in the grass and snuggle them, and explore nature around you. A little bit of dirt never hurt anyone 🙂 These are the real moments I want to capture for you.

If you have any more questions on what you need to do to prepare for your upcoming session, send me a message at: info@angela-k-photography.ca

Don’t forget to check out my portfolio!

Be sure to check out my blog post on what to wear for your family session!

Do you have any other tips to rock your family photography session?