Family photography for down to earth folks

What time of day should we have a family photoshoot?

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The ideal time of day for photography is typically the morning or afternoon. In the middle of the day the sun is at its highest point and can create harsh shadows under your eyes and chin. We also need to consider the best time of day for your children so they are in their happiest and most compliant mood! For some this might be soon after breakfast, whereas other children are better after their morning nap. If we shoot in the evening consider how hungry the children might get and plan accordingly. Whilst I wouldn’t normally encourage bribery, it can help if you reward the children with some kind of treat afterwards!

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Where should we do the photoshoot?

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My two favourite places are at your home or at a park, nature reserve or the beach. It helps, especially with young children, if we have a location where we can roam. Going from one spot to the other breaks it up a bit and seems less daunting. I’ll capture the entire session and I won’t leave until I know we’ve got a bunch of nice shots to choose from. If you're still not sure where to go consider what you'd like to see up on your wall: Natural green of the bush? Colourful mural? Beach tones?

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What should we wear?

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Plain clothes (i.e. no patterns) work best. It looks great when the whole family wear colours that match. Avoid black. Pastels, muted tones and denim always look great as a general rule. If you have young children I suggest bringing a change of clothes just in case!

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What should we bring?

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If you have younger children then I’d consider bringing a mess-free snack along (sultanas, small slices of apple, tiny crackers – something that won’t leave crumbs or a mess on the face). Also bring wipes, because KIDS! You can also consider bringing their favourite toy or any sentimental things along, like a handmade blanket or heirloom.

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We’ll often do a bit of a roam, particularly with younger children, so try not to bring unnecessary stuff that can’t be photographed (i.e. handbags). 

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What should we expect on the day?

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I think the best photos are those natural moments captured when you weren’t expecting it. I might ask the whole family to pose for a photo but it’s those inbetween moments that count!

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Don’t stress if your kids aren’t participating, just keep smiling and I’ll worry about making them smile. If all else fails, tickle them! I will nearly always use toilet humour and act goofy to get your kids to smile, I apologise in advance!

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Again, I would recommend using a reward for big smiles. You could promise to go out for icecream afterwards or a lollipop. This way you can kindly remind them of this throughout the photoshoot to ‘sweeten’ the deal so to speak!

When do we get our photos back?

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After the photoshoot I may need up to 3 weeks to edit the photos for you. The high resolution images will be made available in an online gallery where you can view them, share them with family and friends, and download to your computer.