So you finally booked a session with a photographer (hopefully Studio 860 Photography) to have your family photos done. Good for you! There is nothing better then a portrait hanging on your wall of you and your beautiful family all looking so happy smiling at the camera, a single moment captured frozen in time. That sounds ideal, but the problem is that we (women) tend to look at any pictures of ourselves and immediately point out the bad. We wonder why is my hair so frizzy? Why did I decide to put on red lipstick (the circus isn't in town until next month)? Why does that shirt with "horizontal stripes" make me look like a dump truck? Could I show any more teeth when I smile (maybe a dentist could come by and give me a cleaning as I posed for that picture)? The self deprecating complaints are endless.
When preparing for a family picture I find that so many Moms are concentrated on what their kids will be wearing, and if they can get their husband (who is not happy about having to do this in the first place) to smile. It's so easy for Moms to forget about themselves, to not be fully prepared, and in the end to not be happy with the result because they didn't give themselves the attention needed prior to the photoshoot.
So in an effort to get the best possible pictures to hang on your walls, I will give some suggestions for Moms to follow prior to their family photoshoot. So here we go:
1. Pick out your clothes first, then build outfits for the family around your outfit of choice. 99% of the time clothing for the children is picked out first and then Moms settle on whatever they can find to match for themselves. I say pick out what you think looks best on you, what colors look best on you, and go from there. Kids are easy, they look good in almost anything, and husbands, give them a button down shirt, t-shirt, or polo shirt in any color and they are done (must be nice to be a man sometimes)! So take some time for yourself, go to the mall, try things on, and choose an outfit you feel confident in!
2. Get your hair done right before the photo shoot. It doesn't have to be the same day (although nobody can do a blowout quite like your hairdresser), but getting a trim and taking care of your roots will make a big difference in your photo. Nobody wants to look at themselves on the wall for years to come and always wonder why they didn't get their dark roots colored, or take care of they grey that was peaking through. Nobody wants to see themselves with dreaded split ends...eek! So schedule an appointment at your salon preferably the week of your shoot. And don't forget about styling the day of the shoot. Don't go crazy, just be yourself. If you look best with it up, then wear it up, if having it down is your thing, then go for it!
3. Now is not the time to experiment with your makeup! The last thing you want to do is look like Ronald McDonald or Bozo the clown! Depending on what kind of shoot you're doing will determine how you want to do your make up. If you're going for a more formal picture then you should wear your make up how you would wear it for an evening out. If you're doing a casual beach shoot, then less is more and your not going to want to over do it. I would definitely do a practice day a couple of days before the shoot and take a few "selfies" with your phone or have one of your kids take a few pictures of you. Make sure you're standing in front of a window so you can see how your make up will look in natural light. And one last tip about make up... POWDER, POWDER, POWDER! Especially for those who tend to have skin on the oily side, it's important to use a powder to soak up any excess oil. Bring your powder to the shoot too, being in front of lights or out in the sun can cause you to sweat and get oily again, so you will want to touch up often (nothing looks worse in a picture then your face looking like an oil slick)!
4. Lastly, you need to know how your look best when you smile. When someone points a camera at me I tend to show all my teeth and squint my eyes like a shar pei. After all the effort you put into finding the right clothes, getting your hair done, and your make up perfect, you don't want it all to go to waste by looking like a deer caught in headlights. My advice is to practice. Lock yourself in the bathroom (otherwise your family might think you've finally lost it and book you a one way ticket to the loony bin) and practice your smile in the mirror. You of course want your smile to be natural and a good photographer will have you laughing and smiling on cue, but it's important to be ready to smile they way you know you look best. For me it's to remember to not show every tooth in my mouth and to not squint my baby blues. Everyone has a smile that lights them up and makes them look beautiful, or sexy, or confident. Whatever it is you're going for it's in there, just spend a little time honing in on what not to do and the smile will come out perfectly.
There you have it, my four tips for perfecting the photo session! Next time I'll discuss the importance of bribing kids and maybe your husband (Mr. Why do we have to get these photos done) too.
Studio 860 Photography looks forward to taking many more family photographs in the future. Connecticut family photography is one of my favorites. I also travel to Rhode Island and Massachusetts for sessions.