As we’ve mentioned before, we value annual family photos. They’re a way to document your family in each new season. My goal for this year and every year is to collect albums that I fill of memories of my family. Just wait until one of us has a kid. We know we will have albums upon albums in our homes.

We know getting ready for one of these sessions, especially with little ones running around can be challenging. So, we want to help!

As we’ve mentioned before, we’re natural light photographers because we believe that natural light, from the sun creates photographs that feel fresh and beautiful images that are timeless and truest to you and your family. We typically begin all portrait sessions two hours before the scheduled sunset during “the golden hour,” when the light is the dreamiest. To get the most out of your session, please plan a buffer when getting ready so you can arrive a few minutes early to your session and be ready to start on time. If you’re wearing two outfits, save your favorite one for the second half, and if you’re wearing one, arrive in that.

*For mini sessions we feel one outfit serves you best because it allows us to be taking photos for the entire 30 minutes we are together rather than take time for an outfit change.

When it comes to styling your session, it’s always fun to bring props! Do you want your photos to look more editorial and unique? Bring a little extra something with you! Fresh flowers bring an extra “wow” factor to just about everything, especially when they’re attached to something else, like a bicycle basket, tree swing, tent, picnic basket, or balloons. Whether you want to incorporate larger items like classic cars or bikes, or smaller ones like blankets or hats, even planning for just one extra styled item could be a fun way to make your session more unique.

It can be difficult to coordinate outfits for your entire family. As you’re coordinating your outfit with your family, keep in mind that your outfits will look the most cohesive on camera when the color palette and wardrobe pieces coordinate, but don’t actually “match.” In fact, we recommend that you avoid thinking about “matching,” and instead think about what “fits” together. This will create more visual interest, and allow each personality to shine through.

The goal for coordinating a family is to visually break up the colors and shades so that you’re not all wearing the same color on top and bottom. The more we can mix that up, the better. We encourage you to think about planning each outfit with “dominant colors” and “accent colors” in mind. A dominant color is the color that you see the most in an outfit, while an accent has a smaller piece of visual real estate. When you’re planning each family member’s outfit, if you can aim for each person to have a different dominant color, and then tie in and vary the accent colors, it’s going to look great all together.

-Chelsea and Hannah

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