Tips for A Smooth Portrait Session

6 Tips For A Smooth Mini Portrait Session

​The fall is when many families look for their favorite family photographer to photograph beautiful family portraits.  Especially if you’re on the east coast and in the Washington DC / Northern Virginia area.  The fall foliage is amazing and makes for a perfect scene for fall family pictures.  Usually during the month of September and beyond many professional photographers are booked solid or close to it.  

This is a popular time of year for many families are these photos will be used for Christmas cards, shared on social media (Facebook and Instagram), in addition to many families wanting wall portraits of their family picture.  

​Once the photographer has been secured, many families thoughts turn to what are we going to wear, how are we going to keep the kids in check, where are we going to have our picture taken, and more. 
 
In this article, I will give six tips to help your family in the Northern Virginia area have a smoother mini session.  Hopefully these six tips will help you and your family have a smooth portrait session, create wonderful memories, and beautiful family pictures.
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1.  After selecting your family picture, deciding on what to wear is the next difficult decision for many families.  Usually, you’re excited you’ve booked your favorite photographer (hopefully it’s me), now what to wear or not to wear, that is the big question!
 
It is best to have your family’s outfits ready to go several days to a week in advance.  Take plenty of time to try them on. You want them to look and feel great (I have more on this below). Doing this in advance will alleviate stress as picture day approaches.
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2.  Make sure you and your family are well rested! Go to bed early, if possible, the night before. Kids and adults both need their beauty sleep.  A well-rested family is a family that is ready to rock out their photoshoot.  Don't forget to drink ample water.  Drinking water helps to give clear skin.​

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3.  Amp it up.  I love making the session enjoyable for your child.  Have them mentally prepared for the whole process.  You can talk to them about how much fun it will be.  Tell them you are going to be meeting our new friend (Tamieka).  You can tell them about my cool camera, lights, and equipment.  Tell them how famous people go to photoshoots and make it interest them!  The sky is the limit here.  In addition, remind them that you’ll get to listen to your favorite music and dance.  Yes, we’ll dance during your portrait session. 

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​4.  A little bribe never hurt anybody, right?  Bring a snack, favorite toy, noisemaker, blanket, basically anything that makes your child(ren) happy!  We can use these as rewards for a job well done or just to get that perfect shot.  My research shows that this will sometimes work on your spouse, too!  

5.  Top mistake alert:  I HIGHLY recommend coming with a full belly. Waiting until after our photoshoot can cause major problems.  A hangry (angry and hungry) child, spouse, or even yourself probably won’t enjoy the mini-session and have irritability.  Keep your clothes photo-ready and clean by dressing for the shoot after you eat.  

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6.  Because many professional photographers book mini sessions back-to-back, there is usually no space for wiggle room. Plan on being at your portrait location at least ten minutes early! Being early ensures you are ready to go when it is your turn.  We want to be respectful of everyone’s time and make the most out of your beautiful family’s photographs!
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Conclusion

​Yes, having your annual family fall picture taken in Northern Virginia is wonderful.  As the scenery is great and provides a wonderful opportunity to get photos taken for your new wall portrait or for your Christmas card.  Everything that happens behind the scenes are what will help your portrait session go well and without a hitch.  I hope these six tips for a smooth portrait session were beneficial.  If you have additional tips, I would love to know what has worked for your family.
 
If you would like to schedule your family for fall portraits, don’t hesitate to give me a call at (571) 250-5073 or email [email protected].
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