There is nothing quite like spring! It’s a new season, the sun is shining (hopefully), and everywhere you look, there is no more snow! Okay, so there are a lot of reasons to love spring. Can I share one more? It’s a great time to take your family portraits!
The abundance of spring sunshine means we all get our much-needed vitamin D! This is why people experience a mood booster with the additional daylight, and they feel happier! What a perfect time to take a family portrait.
Not convinced? I offer my five favorite reasons next!
Five Perks of a Spring Family Portrait Session
1. Gorgeous Blooms – As you can see, springtime offers sweet blooms for the perfect backdrop for your family portraits. I know all the best locations in the Seacoast area to find the perfect spot. Imagine your family portrait on the wall with the sweet happiness of spring! You’ll feel happier all year by just admiring it.
2. Spring Sunsets – In spring, the days are getting longer than winter, so your session will likely start an hour or so before sunset, which is around 5:30 pm. There is something magical about spring sunsets, in my opinion. It’s like your seeing beautiful sunsets for the first time! It’ll create beautiful lighting for your portraits!
3. Your Kids Are Ready to Play – After being cooped up all winter, your kiddos are ready to get out and do something fun. Trust me, family portrait sessions are a blast! Not only that, you’ll look at your kids this spring and wonder how they’ve grown so fast. Now is the time to capture their essence to treasure forever.
4. Spring Outfits – I actually really love spring outfits for a family portrait session! The temperature is at the perfect in-between, so it feels warmer, but we’re not experiencing the summer heat. I tend to love neutrals with complimentary cheery colors such as whites, pinks, greens, and blues for spring sessions. All my family sessions include wardrobe guidance, but if you’re interested in more, I have an entire blog post dedicated to what to wear for your spring portraits here.
5. Just in Time for Mother’s Day – What do moms really want for Mother’s Day? Portrait artwork of their beautiful families to enjoy every day. If you’re a mom, this might be the perfect reason to go ahead and schedule your family session. Or, you can send this to your partner for a major hint. 😉
Spring Family Seacoast NH Photographer
Honestly, I love capturing your family’s portrait all year long and in the studio, but there is something just lovely about a spring family session! Everyone is happy and ready to play in the sun, resulting in gorgeous portraits of your family. If you’re interested in learning more about me, let’s schedule a time to chat!
Otherwise, if you’re a Seacoast mama, I’d love to have you in my online community. It’s a growing resource with tips, support, and expert advice on all parenting topics. You can join it here.
You might be surprised to hear this, but I’m not always comfortable in front of the camera. My passion is taking your family photos for you to treasure forever; however, I may feel nervous when it’s my turn.
Believe it or now, it’s common to feel nervous before a portrait session. Unless you’re a celebrity, you might not have your portraits taken very often. You may need to get yourself in the right headspace and be excited to have your picture taken.
Here, I’ll share five tips to help you relax, feel comfortable, and confident so that you end up with photos that you LOVE.
5 Tips for Getting Comfortable in Front of the Camera
1.) Pamper Yourself – This is a wonderful opportunity to pamper yourself so that you feel beautiful and confident before your session. Book hair and makeup the day of the session, so you don’t have to stress. My only recommendation is not to try a completely different look that day. If you don’t have time that day, get your nails done a few days prior. Take some time for you!
2.) Plan Your Outfits – Feel prepared for your session by having everyone’s outfits ready to go. I have multiple articles on what to wear for spring, summer, or fall. If everyone has an amazing outfit ready to go, you’ll feel much better and more relaxed!
3.) Choose a Meaningful Location – I highly recommend choosing a session location that’s meaningful to you! You’ll feel comfortable and excited going to the location for your shoot. It’s totally normal to feel shy taking photos if there are other people around, but we’ll be having so much fun you won’t even notice.
4.) Make it Fun! – This is your time to look amazing and laugh with your family! There will be lots of giggling and laughing during the session. It’s okay to be goofy! In fact, it’s strongly encouraged. We’ll crack jokes or tell funny stories to get everyone smiling naturally. It should feel like you’re having the best time with your people!
5.) Find the Right Photographer – This is the most important tip, my friend. You need to find the right photographer for you! Someone whose work you like and you feel comfortable with. You need one who you can ask for help choosing your outfits and location, as well as someone who genuinely cares about your portraits!
Family Photographers Near Newburyport, MA
Find a photographer who makes you feel comfortable in front of the camera so you end up with portraits you will adore! I’m honored to work with my families again and again because we end up feeling like old friends after the session. I’m here to guide you through the entire portrait process so that you feel at ease and relaxed. If you’re interested in booking a session, book a quick phone call with me to see if we’re the right fit!
Your family portrait session is a big day! This portrait will hang on the walls and appear in photo albums for years to come. There is a lot of pressure on families (okay, moms!) to make sure this photo is perfect. You need to schedule the session, coordinate outfits, and make sure everyone is in a good mood the day of the portraits. It can be a lot!
I recently shared a blog post with tips on how to Make Your Family Photography Session FUN for the Kids. Today, I want to share a couple of tips to make the session less stressful for you and the whole fam. Your family portrait session should be a blast, and there are a few tips to help make sure that it is!
How to Make Your Family Portrait Session Easy
Here are my 4 top tips for making your family photo session less stressful and more enjoyable for everyone.
Make it Your Only Priority That Day – If your schedule allows you to, try to make the portrait session the only scheduled activity that day for your family. This will enable you to have plenty of time to get ready and make sure that your family is relaxed before the shoot. If you have other commitments that day, just try to give yourself ample time before the session.
Eat Before… And After – Try to make sure your family is fed before the shoot. We don’t want anyone hungry and asking for snacks. Even though you might have a kiddo that will definitely ask for snacks anyway. Packing snacks for after the session is a good idea if someone is hungry, but do not plan on giving out any snacks during the session.
Prepare All Outfits in Advance – Have everyone’s outfits ready to go the weekend before the family portrait session. And, I mean, ready to GO! Make sure everything fits, is washed and ironed. Nothing is more stressful than having to track down a shirt or realizing someone’s outfit needs ironing the day of the shoot. If your session is in spring, check out my blog post with what to wear.
Celebrate After – Another way to make the session a fun experience is if you can plan a fun activity after. This could be a fun dinner out afterward or plan on a family game night back at home. Whatever your family likes to do! This is a nice reason to celebrate and could be considered a nice reward for any family members who are nervous about the session.
Choose the Right Family Photographer
I truly hope no one in your family is nervous before the family portrait session. My best advice is to find a photographer that clicks with your family. One that can make sure everyone feels relaxed and ready to have some fun. I think your family portraits should be a fun experience for everyone and be one to remember! If you think I might be a good fit for your family, let’s chat!
You are excited about your family portraits and looking forward to seeing your family artwork displayed throughout your home. The best tip for ensuring you have a successful family photography session? Make sure it’s FUN!
As an experienced family photographer, I’ve truly seen it all! You can trust a professional, like me, to get the best shot of your family no matter what. However, following these tips will help make sure your whole family has fun during the session AND helps us get great smiles.
7 Tips for a Great Family Photo Session
Choose a Fun Location
Choosing a fun location is key! If your family loves the beach, let’s go to the beach! Have a favorite park? We can go there. If you’re dreaming of a studio family portrait, we can definitely make my studio fun!
I can do wonders with photoshop, but if there’s a spill or crease on someone’s outfit it’s really tough to make that look nice in the portrait! My best tip is to dress right before as best as you can. If we’re at my studio, you can dress or put on the final touches there. If we’re meeting at a park, we’ll do the best we can! Planning a spring session? Check out the latest BLOG post on What to Wear for Spring Family Photography Sessions.
Leave Phones in the Car
Or at least silenced and put away! We don’t want your phone or tablet to become a distraction in any way during the session. Put them away and let’s have some fun!
Play Music
Speaking of fun, let’s have some fun with music! If there’s a song or playlist that your family loves, let’s play it for some happy vibes. Spontaneous dancing is welcome during the session and makes for fun photos.
Play Games
Bonus, if you can bring a ball or frisbee. Playful shots of the family playing are sometimes the best ones. We’ll make sure to take family portraits, but so many of my clients end up loving the candid shots the most!
Let Your Kids PLAY
Yes, let them play! The old way of standing completely still for portraits is long gone. Those types of portraits are totally fine but don’t show off everyone’s personality and joy. Letting your kiddos romp around allows me to capture them as their true, playful selves!
Bring Snacks for AFTER
Trust me, I know how hungry these sessions can make kiddos. Please do bring snacks, BUT I recommend that you wait until after the session is over. A bonus tip would be to bring a fun snack or picnic to celebrate the photos.
Schedule Your Family Portrait Session
I would love to be your family photographer! I’m honored that so many of my clients’ come back to me again and again so I can watch them grow! Interested in scheduling your family portrait session? Click here to chat!
Mommy & Me Mini Sessions will be announced later this month so be sure to get on our VIP list to get first dibs!
YOU (mom) need to mentally prepare…to HAVE FUN! Kids (and dads) may not always cooperate and that is ok – I HAVE YOU COVERED. If you are stressed, the kids will be stressed so just relax and have fun. Going with the flow will ensure that we have a blast and capture those amazing memories. Typically, men don’t enjoy the photo session, but a bad mood can spoil it for everyone. Emphasize how important these memories are to you. Dads are great at playing with the children and that’s what they should be prepared to do. It’s the same fun they always have, but just all dressed up. Once he sees the photos with his real smile and the smile that he can add to those sweet faces, he’s sure to fall in love. Try This: Have him help you come up with some fun ideas for the session or choose the jokes for the kids. The more invested he is in the experience, the better.
#2 CHOOSE A FUN LOCATION
When choosing a location it is important that you choose a place that your family will enjoy. Whether that is an apple orchard, a park or your own backyard, it should be a place that means something to you as a family. Some of my favorite locations for fall sessions are Wagon Hill in Durham, Vernon Family Farm in Newfields and Fort Foster in Kittery. The beach makes for an amazing backdrop in the early fall since the crowds have left and the temperature is still warm but cool enough that you are not sweating in the photos.
#3 DRESS IN LAYERS
Fall in New Hampshire can be very unpredictable. One day it is 75 and warm and the next day there are morning flurries. By dressing in layers, your family can be prepared for any changes in the weather. Add a scarf, vest or jacket that coordinate to add pops of color to your wardrobe choices. View the full What to Wear Guide.
#4 GIVE BREAKS & Ignore the kids (say what?!?!)
We play a LOT during my sessions and kids love it. We will warm up with some games and I promise to get those sweet smiles you are looking for. The key is to IGNORE THE CHILDREN. I know, it sounds crazy but when parents are looking down trying to get little Johnny to smile, they end up ruining the shot. Kids love this rule and when I say it – they tend to LOVE ME and I promise I will get them to look when needed. Have fun and enjoy your kids – even when something unexpected happens…do everything with a smile:).
#5 THINK AHEAD: How can you use these photos for presents?
Fall Portrait Sessions are a great way to get some of your holiday shopping done early. Grandparents LOVE photos of their grandchildren and they make the perfect Christmas Gifts. One great idea is to split up a wall gallery into one to hang in your own home, one for Grandma and one for Nana. Get some ideas for gifts here.
We also offer a great assortment of custom designed Christmas Cards.
Have the leaves started to change and you are wondering if I have any dates open? Contact me today and let’s get something on the calendar.
