The Perfect Evening For Fall Family Photos
This was my first year working with this family to capture their annual family fall photos. They chose the location from a thorough location guide I provide to my clients upon booking, choosing a gorgeous location along the Flathead River in Kalispell. We met up and drove to the location, making a small trek to our final destination. The three kiddos were excited and joyful to be playing outside in a new area. October in Montana typically gives lots of warm colors for photos, between brown grasses and burnt orange leafy trees, getting a glowy sunset is just the cherry on top.
During sessions, I work through various prompts and posing as I learn to work with this family for the first time. I usually try to get the kids to warm up to me as I am a stranger in their brains. Small jokes or having them play fun games are my usual go-to's. My pre-session questionnaire helps me fill in the gaps with ages and interests, kids love it when I can guess their name before they say it out loud!
I often schedule sessions for the last hour of sunlight, trying to secure the most golden hour time we can. This can be a challenge in early Summer when the sunset is at 9:45 pm, but I find that most kids adapt pretty well as I keep them busy throughout the session. During the Fall and Winter, the sunsets are much earlier, often around dinner time, I recommend finding time to eat dinner before the session so no one has a hungry belly! So much goes into making a session seem effortless, in reality, it's a lot of pre-planning before and relaxation during.
Tips to Help Your Family Session Go Seamlessly
If you've never had the chance to have family photos taken or even worked with me as a photographer, I am sure you're stressing slightly about how things will go. Worry no more, as I am about to share some of my favorite tips and ideas to help your session go as smoothly and effortlessly as possible.
Below I'll detail some of my favorite ways you can prepare for your session and how you can help the actual session go smoothly when it comes time to take photos!
- Plan your outfits as early as possible in advance. Don't wait till 2 weeks before to order outfits. I recommend starting with choosing your color palette, 3-4 colors that you'll coordinate across your entire group. If you have more than one family unit, you can add some additional colors as well. Stick to neutrals with some color pop, depending on your location. Utilize textures and mixing of less-busy patterns, also add in layering. For my booked clients, I am more than happy to look over outfit ideas via email and give feedback! If you need additional assistance, I recommend purchasing a pass from Style and Select, which is an outfit styling tool to help you plan outfits for photo sessions, with direct links to the clothing items for easy ordering.
- Start talking to your kids early about the planned session, but don't stress too much about it. Plan out a reward ahead of time, this typically works for most kids. I recommend bringing a small toy/non-messy snack/fidget toy in your bag to pull out if we absolutely need it. Some post-session rewards that work great for kids include a new toy, a visit to a place they love (movie theater), or a treat like ice cream or hot cocoa afterward.
- During the session, embrace letting your kids explore, play, and be a little silly. As long as they aren't in danger or harming others, let them be kids for the session. If you find yourself becoming stressed over making them perform, take a deep breath and remember that taking photos isn't a routine for them and playing is how they might de-stress in the situation. I am unphased by kids being kids, honestly, some of the best photos come from them running around like crazy.
- Trust your photographer with a location. Sometimes the prettiest location isn't safe for children and I might suggest something different than what you had in mind. I also might be considering our session time, lighting, season, and weather which might change the way photos turn out at a location. Knowing that your photographer has the knowledge and experience to make the calls on locations is super important.
Hopefully, you've found a few of these tips that will help you in your upcoming session. I cannot stress enough that choosing the right photographer for your family is also an important factor. Not every photographer will jive with your family and that's okay. I recommend looking at portfolios, google reviews, and their social media to get a feel for their work and the satisfaction of their clients. You can also request full galleries to review prior to booking to see more of their work.
Still Searching For Your Forever Photographer to Grow With Your Family?
Nothing brings me more joy than having the opportunity to photograph families year after year, watching them add to the mix, their kiddos grow and become young adults and then teens, and watching dynamics change over the years. Whether you're expecting your first child and want photos from the very beginning or needing to capture your first family session with your littles, I'd love to be considered in your search. You can see more of my portfolio across my website and on the "Family Portraits" page of my site. If you feel called to my work and would like to schedule a session, simply fill out the contact form on my website and I'll get back to you via email. During the months of June-October, I highly recommend that potential clients contact me about 3 months in advance to schedule their session as my calendar fills quickly during the busy season. If you're a past client, I do my best to be accommodating to get you on the calendar, even if we have to do a morning session. I can't wait to hear more about the ideal family session, let's get planning!
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