Preparing for your family session

This time of year whether you are planning Christmas pictures or optioning for more traditional family photos that you can hang year round, yes I am kind of weird about  having Christmas pictures out in the middle of summer, anyway I have pretty much the same advice. If you signed up for my Christmas mini session you already received a survival guide, I mean an email preparing you for your mini session!                                                                                                                                             Ok so lets dive on in, each photo shoot will have a specified location, sometimes I have been there before, sometimes right beforehand and sometimes its a totally new spot for me. I will always give you as much information on our location as possible beforehand but I will tell you it won't hurt to arrive a few minutes early, that way you have time to deal with any issues that may arise, especially when most, if not all of you have your sweet kiddos with you :) and we all know that babies may need to be changed, kids have meltdowns, and husbands need a pep talk, haha. 

        So we are going to talk about planning ahead! I know that soon after we talk and make arrangements to meet you probably already have your outfits you want to wear in mind, unless you are like me and wait until the day before, thats ok too :) But a good idea is to have your outfits, shoes, accessories and hair styles picked out ahead of time so you feel less stress the day of and even have it all laid out the night before so it's one less thing to worry about! The day of I would really recommend trying to get naps in for the little ones, I know, I know, easier said than done :) Also bringing them non-messy snacks to give before the shoot is a good idea instead of giving suckers or other treats during the shoot, trust me I know! Also if your child is shy or takes a while to warm up, bring a lovey or some thing that calms and soothes them, I don't know about you, but I am not above bribing, if you have to bribe your child to get through the shoot let me know and I can help use it as an incentive!

       To close I wanted to let everyone know that I understand it's awkward and uncomfortable to get your picture taken, (that's why I'm behind the camera, haha) just relax, and have fun, but I will help you feel comfortable, no worries! I will be as silly as I need to be to the kids and talk about football or computers with the guys, not really but I can try. I can't wait to meet you, if you have ANY questions or concerns please do not hesitate to email me or call me!