HOW TO PREPARE FOR YOUR FAMILY PHOTOSHOOT

I concentrate on telling the story of each family I photograph and find that the magic happens when they’re relaxed and interacting naturally. So please don’t worry about everything being perfect or tell your children to be on their best behaviour. It’s more important that their personalities shine through. Let them know you’re heading out for a fun morning with Mum’s friend Jayne who takes photos. But don’t make a big deal of it.

Prepare for your family photoshoot by getting a good rest the night before – I know that’s easier said than done. And eat well at breakfast because it’s hard to be at your best when you’re tired and hungry.

There are a couple of things I’m going to ask you not to do. This is a big one, please don’t ask your children to smile. I know this can be shocking to hear but trust me, the smile you want to see in your photographs is not the one you get when you’ve had to ask for it.

And also, if I haven’t asked you to stand behind me, please don’t when I’m photographing your children. I know you want to watch how they’re reacting or try to make them smile, but unfortunately it can lead to confused expressions and children looking in different directions.

Two hours can feel like a long time if you have small children but when we’re outside it can fly by. There will be plenty of opportunity for snacks, climbing trees, blowing bubbles or whatever it is that your family loves to do when you’re together.

This is not a formal photoshoot – it’s family time – and your everyday interactions are what I’m wanting to capture.

As we live in England, there just has to be a section about the weather!

If it’s raining or a blustery day, we’ll postpone the shoot to a convenient time. It might be that you’re happy for a pause in the showers – if they’re light – that is an option.

One of my favourite shoots took place during a break in the showers – the light was beautiful and the landscape lush from its recent watering.

Many clients think that cloudy days are not great for photoshoots when actually the opposite is true. Light cloud gives the most beautiful flattering light and is ideal. On days like those there is definitely no need to postpone.

The most important thing is that you are comfy so that you’re able to relax and enjoy the experience. So wear the types of clothes that you would normally wear and feel good in.

Make sure your shoes aren’t likely to give you blisters and if it’s cold, layering isn’t just a great way to stay warm, it can add variety to your pictures.

Avoid big logos. They draw your attention away from the family in the photographs. Also bright reflective colours near the face can cause colour casts on skin and are best avoided.

Think about how all your outfits will look side by side. Try laying them out on a bed beforehand. Do they work together? Muted and natural colours are a good choice as a base for your outfits. Denim works really well. You can then mix in other tones and patterns so that they all work together.

If you’d like a few more tips, I have a blog post you can check out on what to wear to your family photoshoot.

Following your session I select the best images – usually around 40 – and digitally enhance each one individually.

Your gallery details will be emailed to you around 2 weeks after your shoot and it will contain your images in both colour and black and white.

The gallery will be available for five days for you to share with friends and family and make your choices. Please make your choices within the five days or an extra £20 re-hosting fee is payable.

As each product is custom made to order, delivery of your finished order can take four weeks, although often it is much quicker.

Before your shoot, think about where you would like to display your images. How big is the space, is it in a specific room or rooms? This will help me because I will plan your photo session with this in mind. If you are unsure at this stage what you may want, that’s ok too.

Once you have your gallery, you can choose from an exciting range of products made by professional artisans to display your photographs.

I offer a curated range of gallery frames, albums and art prints that are made to last and will look gorgeous displaying your family photographs.

Your gallery is live for five days – and while that may feel a little short for you to make your decision – I’m here to make each step easy.

As well as your images your gallery will also contain mock-ups. These mock-ups make it easy to visualise how your images would look framed and in a room setting. This makes the decision making process much easier.

These mock-ups are just my suggestions and if you would like to see a different arrangement of images in another frame choice – that’s no problem at all.