Preparation Timeline for your Family or Lifestyle Photoshoot
Anyone else's memories of family photos from my childhood revolve around Easter bunny photoshoots at Sears and church directory family poses? Yeah, same here! My goal is to give you something that outshines the poses with the Easter Bunny and truly captures the love in your family and your life.Whether your next family photography shoot is planned with me or with another stunning photographer, the tips below can help you get relaxed and channel your inner Tyra Banks (promise you don't need to know how to smize!) on shoot day!
Two weeks before:
Pick a color scheme and clothing for everyone involved, order or purchase anything that's missing. I LOVE scrolling Pinterest for inspiration. If you plan to get your hair and makeup done, book those appointments too. I absolutely recommend getting professional hair and makeup done for special occasion photoshoots - it's not a must have by any means, but it adds SO much to your confidence that day! Even a trip to one of those blow dry bars is worth it in my book. Remember, you're paying more than $45 (the cost of a typical blowout) for these professional pictures, so get your money's worth and make sure you feel FAB on the day of.
Three days before:
Set out all clothes and accessories for everyone in one place. There's nothing more stressful than being late to a shoot because you couldn't find a shoe or a hair bow. Speaking of which, make sure anything in the shoot doesn't need to be worn the day or two before. Then you'll risk finding out something is dirty last minute or losing something.
Two days before:
If you have kids (or even a reluctant spouse ha), talk to them about pictures and get them excited! You can do this by showing old pictures of your family, talking about how much fun it's going to be, practicing smiles and silly faces, and picking out places in your house where you'll hang the new pictures. Note that I only recommend doing this a couple days before picture day. Sometimes TOO much excitement is not a great thing and you'll find yourself answering questions every day. BUT you know your kiddos best, so you do you!
Night before:
Make sure you have everything set out in an easy to find place. Then, spend some time making yourself feel like a million bucks with a new manicure, an at home facial, or just a bubble bath! And most importantly: get some sleep!
Day of:
Your pictures will probably either be early in the morning or late in the evening to capture the best light. If you have to wait the whole day, try not to do anything super out of the ordinary - keep naps and meals as consistent as you can, but, by the same token, don't stress if things get out of whack. We'll make sure that we reset and get everyone excited and comfortable when you arrive! If you can, wait to get everyone dressed until the last minute to prevent spills and stains.Then, show up on time, don't worry about a thing, and let your photographer take care of the rest!
BONUS! Here are some things I recommend that you DON'T do:DON'T try any crazy new products or beauty treatments. And above all else, do NOT fake-tan yourself the night before your shoot! If you want some added glow, have a professional help several days in advance so you don't have streaky lines (that of course will jump out at you in every picture if you know they're there!).DON'T be shy about bribing kids, husbands, and pets. Candy, toys, fun activities - they can do wonders for a smile! Whatever it takes, y'all. No need to go crazy, but the promise of ice cream in exchange for direction following has powered many a photoshoot!DON'T be afraid to ask your photographer for what you want. If you saw a picture of a baby reading a book on a blanket, and you want to recreate it, speak up! You will NOT offend your photographer! This is YOUR photoshoot, and any photographer worth a darn just wants you to be happy with the end result, so let us know what you have in mind, and we'll move mountains to make it happen!That's all, y'all! Hope this helps ease any photoshoot day jitters!Sarah