"We're terrible at pictures."
I hear some version of this all the time from families before their session. Maybe you feel awkward in front of the camera, your kids never sit still, or you simply have no idea what you're supposed to do once the camera comes out. The good news is that you don't have to be good at posing to have beautiful family photos. That's where I come in.
As a family photographer, my job isn't to expect you to know how to pose. My job is to guide you through the session in a way that feels comfortable, natural, and, most importantly, like your family.
It's Not a Freeze Session
If the thought of a family photo session makes you picture everyone standing in a line, staring at the camera, and holding the same smile for an hour, I don't blame you for being nervous. That's not how I want your session to feel.
I use a mix of easy, lightly posed portraits and candid prompts throughout your session. There will absolutely be moments where I position everyone and give you direction so we can get those beautiful, classic family portraits. But we won't spend the entire session standing still. We'll move around, walk, play with the kids, snuggle, laugh, and interact.
Some of the Easy Poses We Might Do
Good options include:
• Stand together and look at the camera
• Look at each other
• Everyone smile
• Snuggle together
• Hold your little one
• Walk together holding hands
• Sit together
• Parents stand together while the kids play around you
These are the classic family portraits that you'll always want to have. They're simple, timeless, and give you those photographs where everyone is looking at the camera.
But then we have some fun.
Then We Play
This is where the session starts to feel less like a photo shoot and more like an experience with your family.
Instead of asking everyone to hold the same pose, I'll give you a prompt that gets you interacting with each other. You might not even realize I'm taking pictures because you're too busy doing something silly.
Some of my favorite prompts include:
• Spin the kids around
• Tell someone one thing you love about them
• Whisper a joke in the person's ear next to you
• Everyone yell out their favorite ice cream flavor
• Pick up a rock and prepare to throw it
• Walk together and talk about your favorite thing you did that week
• Give someone a giant squeeze
• Have the kids chase Dad
• See who can make Mom laugh first
Some of these prompts create sweet, genuine moments. Others are intentionally a little ridiculous. That's the point.
I want your kids laughing. I want you interacting with each other. I want the real personalities to come out instead of everyone trying to figure out what they're "supposed" to do.
And while you're doing all of that, I'm watching for the little moments that happen naturally.
You Don't Have to Know How to Pose
You don't need to practice before your session or come in knowing what to do with your hands. You don't need to know which way to turn or what your "good side" is. I'll guide you through it.
The combination of simple poses and candid prompts gives us a gallery with variety. You'll have those beautiful portraits where everyone is looking at the camera, along with the little moments that happen when you forget I'm even there.
Your Kids Don't Have to Be Perfect Either
If you've got young kids, you already know that asking them to stand still and smile on command can be an exercise in frustration. I don't expect them to be perfect.
Kids move. They get distracted. They get silly. They need breaks. Sometimes they cooperate beautifully, and sometimes they have an entirely different plan for how the session should go. We work with it.
Rather than fighting your child's personality, I want to incorporate it into the photos. If they're playful, we'll play. If they're cuddly, we'll slow down. If they need to run around for a minute, we'll give them space to do that. Some of the best photographs come from those unexpected moments.
You Don't Have to Look Perfect
This might be the most important part: you don't have to look perfect, and you don't have to act perfect.
Because you're not perfect. Neither am I, and neither is anyone else. You're simply you, exactly as you are in this season of your life.
Maybe your toddler is still obsessed with being carried. Maybe your kids are constantly making each other laugh. Maybe your family is a little chaotic. Maybe your baby won't let go of your shirt. Maybe your child has a giant personality that comes out the second they're in front of a camera.
Those things are part of your family, and someday, those are the things you'll miss.
The Poses You Treasure Most Are the Ones In Between
Years from now, you might not remember whether everyone was looking at the camera in every photograph. You'll remember how small your kids were. You'll remember the way your daughter wrapped her arms around you, the way your son laughed when Dad chased him, the way everyone squeezed together, and all of the little expressions and personalities that belonged to your children at that exact age.
That's why I don't want to create photographs that simply show what your family looked like. I want to capture what it felt like to be your family.
That's what draws me to natural, lifestyle-inspired family photography. The beautiful portraits matter, but so do the moments that happen between them. Those little interactions are what make your gallery feel personal instead of posed.
So What Do You Need To Do?
Honestly? Show up.
Wear something you feel comfortable and confident in. Bring your family. Let your kids be themselves. And trust me to guide you through the rest.
You don't have to be a model. You don't have to be photogenic. You don't have to know how to pose. You don't even have to love having your picture taken.
I'll give you enough direction that you never have to wonder what you're supposed to do, while still leaving plenty of room for your family to simply be yourselves.
Because your family doesn't need to look perfect to be beautiful.
You don't need to become someone else for your photos. You're already exactly who you need to be.
And that's the family I want to photograph.