Family Session Prep Guide

Time to update those family portraits? Of course it is! Our belief is that you can’t really overdo it on pictures of the people you love, especially those little ones who grow and change faster than you ever thought possible. Here are some tips to help you prepare for your family session with CTW.

When and Where

Your family session can be inside or outside; it will depend on the time of day, the weather and what you want to capture in your session. Indoor sessions can take place at any time of day. For outdoor sessions, we’ll be aiming for either the first or last hours of daylight. Taking pictures close to sunrise or sunset means we get to work with soft, gorgeous light. If your session is downtown or another spot with plenty of buildings, we have more flexibility with the session time.

If you have a location in mind, let us know! We have our favorite spots that we can recommend based on the time and weather, but we’re always willing to check out a new setting, especially if it carries some significance for your family.

What to Wear

First and foremost, choose outfits that make you feel good and comfortable! That feeling of confidence will show through in your photos. Dress appropriately for the weather; it’s especially hard for kids to give authentic smiles if they are feeling way too hot or too cold.

Don’t be afraid of vibrant colors, textures and patterns like florals and plaid. Do avoid pinstripes and logos. We recommend that you go for coordinating colors amongst your family members rather than matching. You don’t all need to wear khakis and blue sweaters! A mix of textures and colors that “go together” rather than match makes for fun and stunning photos. Remember to include shoes when you’re considering the overall look and coordination of your outfits; your feet will definitely be in some of the photos.

If you are hoping to change outfits for some variety, we recommend no more than 2-3 changes per hour so we can be efficient with the time we have together. For additional outfits you might like to bring, keep the location in mind. If we’re at a park with no restroom handy, switching from one sweater to another and changing up your accessories will be much easier than an entire outfit change. Dressing in layers will help.

Finer Details

For those of you who wear makeup, plan on applying it as you normally would, just a tad heavier. You should still look and feel like yourself. We do recommend paying the most attention to your eye makeup; we really focus on eyes in portraits, so check to make sure your eyeliner and mascara look the way you want them to (separate your lashes, try to avoid harsh low-lid lines with your eyeliner).

Chapstick for the whole family is a great idea to keep your lips from looking dry or cracked. Consider bringing along a comb and hair ties/accessories if you need to do some quick fixes to anyone’s hair in the middle of the session. If you’re planning on haircuts, do so about a week before the session.

If you wear glasses, you’ll probably find us spending extra time getting your pose just right to try to reduce glare and shadows from the lenses. Some people like to wear contact lenses or take their glasses off for the session; however, don’t feel the need to go without glasses if that means you won’t look like yourself. If you happen to visit your eye doctor before your session, check and see if you could borrow a spare pair of frames without lenses; you can still look like you but eliminate the glare and shadows.

The Day of Your Session

Once again considering our location, be sure to use the restroom right before your session. There might not be one easily accessible.

Props aren’t required but are always welcome. This could be anything from your own bench or chair, balloons, sport equipment, stuffed animals, flowers or anything else you’d like to include. Props like your child’s favorite bear or blanket can help your child to feel comfortable and engaged in the session; more than that, it adds a sweet, sentimental touch.

Say Cheese! (Or Not)

For families with young kids, you can expect us to say or do silly things to get real smiles. As parents, for the posed shots, just keep looking at the camera and smiling while all that craziness is going on. Otherwise, follow our direction, play your kids and just have fun! For the times that you aren’t in the picture, you can stand back and let us interact with the kids so they’re looking right at us and not distracted. If we need some help, we’ll let you know.

Some children take time to warm up or just feel a little shy around photographers with big cameras. It’s a very normal and understandable reaction! We never want to make kids feel bad for being unsure. Our aim is to be adaptable when it comes to getting the kiddos comfortable; different things work for different families. For some, us talking and playing with the kids will help; for others, letting you play and cuddle as a family while we capture those interactions is a better way to go.

With younger children especially, we’re happy to let kids run around a bit between posed shots. Letting them be little goes a long way in helping them warm up and we love capturing those candid moments. In fact, in addition to our classic family portraits, we offer True Lifestyle sessions. These are built around the idea of letting kids be little and embracing the fun and magic of playtime as a family.

Above all else, we want you to enjoy yourselves during your family portrait session. We’ll do our part to make sure you look amazing and will give you directions as needed. For the most part, you can relax and do what feels natural; if we need to make adjustments, we’ll let you know. Just have fun! Trust us: the “we’re actually having fun” smiles are always the best ones.