Prepping Your Family to ‘Act Natural’

When investing a lot in pictures, the last thing you want is your family to have fake looking smiles.  Rather, you want your images to capture their true smiles, laughs and expressions.  So how do you encourage that while getting ready amongst all the stress and bribery?  Here are some do’s and don’ts to help. 

Do’s:

1 - Prepare outfits and hair ahead of time.  This will reduce your stress and keep everyone happy.

2 - Make sure everyone comes with a full stomach.  Feel free to bring snacks and drinks to give the kids during the shoot.  Avoid anything that would be messy.

3 - Tell your family that it is going to be fun and to be themselves.  The more relaxed they are when they arrive, the better your pictures will be.

4 - Let your photographer know if you prefer more fun and candid shots instead of serious images.

Don’ts:

1 - Don’t get frustrated or angry with your family while preparing for the shoot.  When that happens, it is very difficult to get anyone in the mood to have a laugh while their picture is being taken.

2 - Don’t get in the way of the photographer unless they ask for your help.  Many times the parent telling their kids to “look at the camera and smile” invokes a forced grin.  Let the photographer work with your kids to get them laughing and looking at the camera.

Trust the photographer to work with your family and make their magic.  It will be easier for you and much more fun for the group!