How to Prepare for, and What to Expect From, a Family Shoot

Family can mean different things to different people, but what they all have in common is that the word conveys the feeling of bonds that leave a permanent mark upon your heart.

Whether it’s biological, a lifelong friendship, or a romantic commitment, the core values of your life change as you deepen your links to family. This is why families have been hiring photographers for group pictures for almost as long as cameras have existed!

WHY HIRE US FOR A FAMILY PHOTOSHOOT?

While smart phone photography has become incredible for the average consumer, taking a spontaneous photo and booking a professional photographer moments are two very different things. At Ginkgo Lens Photography, we’re passionate about making not just an album of family pictures for you, but a visual story that freezes your current stage of life in light to last forever.

Making cookies while being photographed is fun for everyone!

Maybe most important of all, making a photography session into an event instead of a sudden freeze in time makes it a memorable moment for everyone involved. Both Arielle and myself have extensive experience working in photography, film, and children’s commercial work where we’ve wrangled actors and non-actors alike. Leaving the planning, execution, and photo editing to us will cut down on the stress you might have while attempting to get your kids, dogs, or husband to make a presentable face and hold still!

(WHAT’S THE STORY) MORNING GLORY?

So you’ve decided you want to hire us for a family photoshoot, now what? The next step is figuring out the vibe. Not only is every family different, but so is the image they’ll want to project of themselves. The way we think about it is looking at a magazine photoshoot as opposed the way movies look, VS the way commercials look. All of those are obtainable in a photoshoot, but first we need to know what you’re looking to tell the world about you and your family.

Fun fact: Arielle and I started this line of thinking while we were decorating and painting our first apartment. We both love adventure and movies, and came up with the idea of “escaping the city to the jungle” from frustrations over the ongoing pandemic. The result was a beautiful blend of architecture, color, and peculiar décor that was all tied together by intention and research.

This sort of thinking is what we ask you to consider for your photoshoot. While our photography house style is a vibrant, warm and sharp aesthetic, it still changes in nuance between each client.

For instance, do you want magical photos in a lush environment with your kids? Or are you looking for a candid style setup in a restaurant while we take photos through the window or in another booth? How about a dramatic beach scene where your partner leaps into your arms or you leap into theirs? What if we add bubbles, smoke, or the dramatic light of the sun?

To make this easier, we look at planning a photoshoot as storyboarding. Once you book your session, we schedule the date of the shoot and an hour at least one week in advance to have a phone call and talk about you and your family. If you have a particular style or set of poses you want your family to do, we encourage sharing those in a Pinterest mood board or Google folder.

Just like how movies are made, we need to storyboard the way the day should ideally go, while also leaving room in our expectations for things to change and grow. Some of the best photos we’ve ever captured have been meticulously planned ahead of time, and some were a moment’s spur of brilliance from the local 6 year-old that blew all of our minds away. It’s a balance of planning, improvisation, and rolling with the punches.

One of their favorite games to play together

HOW TO PREPARE AND WHAT TO EXPECT

First of all, communication is key! Besides working with us on your mood board, you’ll want to let us know who your family is. Knowing special interests or hobbies helps us know how to keep everyone engaged on the day of the shoot, and gives us ideas for poses and props that are unique to you and your loved ones.

If you or your family is camera shy, we suggest letting us know any specific insecurities you may have so we can shoot with that in mind. We find it helpful if you send along some photos of yourself that you really love as well. This is a great way for us to understand how you’re most comfortable being viewed. Remember, most people can’t see our insecurities– other people view us as whole, complete people, and don’t pick apart our features like we tend to do in the mirror, so you’ll have to let us know how to make you comfortable.

The next thing to think about is your wardrobe. You’ll want to decide if you’re going to coordinate outfits between each other, or each dress in your own style. Remember that smaller patterns and weaves in fabric don’t always show up well on camera, so please send us example photos or bring options if you’re not sure.

The best type of clothing to wear for photoshoots is something comfortable and flattering that you enjoy wearing, that also suits the style of photoshoot– think about how Indiana Jones is always wearing rugged adventure gear and hats in his movies when exploring, but when he’s at a business meeting he dons a tweed blazer and round spectacles.

Last but not least regarding your outfit, make sure you’ve tried it on ahead of time so there are no surprises the day of. We come equipped with a lint roller just in case, but we can’t always fix an unexpected garment disaster. Having a backup in your car or bag is not the worst idea!

Grandma made these aprons for them by hand! Three generations of Christmas celebration

WORKING WITH CHILDREN, NO PROBLEM!

Speaking of being equipped, make sure you pack baby wipes and tissues if there are young children in the photos. You’ll want to keep an eye on any running noses during the shoot! We also always suggest ChapStick for everyone – dry lips do not make a pretty picture and aren’t easy to edit.

If we’re photographing children, we should always take their schedules into account. Do they usually nap at 3 PM? Then we shouldn’t plan a photoshoot for 2:30 PM. Let us know at the time of booking what time works best with your child’s schedule in mind. Before we begin shooting let them have a snack, and make sure they use the bathroom.

If there is a special prop you’d like them to interact with during the shoot, don’t let them play with it before we begin. We don’t want them losing interest before or during our session, or to make them upset if their favorite thing is taken away.

We love high energy in our sessions – you may think your child running around would be a detriment to your pictures, but low energy, uninterested little ones make far worse photos. High energy means we’ll get fun photos of them dancing around, running circles around their parents, or playing with their surroundings. We love capturing the moments in between poses, so this is quite ideal!

If you have very young kids, bring a toy or let us know what tv show or song they love. We can play the show on our phones or use the toy to make sure your kids are looking at the camera. You can leave this part up to us. Many parents don’t realize this, but a good number of the photos that don’t make it to your gallery are because the PARENT isn’t looking, not the child. That’s because very often your focus may be on trying to make your child smile or look, and then when they do get a photo of an attentive child and a parent staring at them instead of the lens. If you allow us to work on grabbing their attention, and you focus on posing yourself, that gives us the greatest guarantee of capturing the best photo.

To summarize how to prepare, see below for a general packing list:

Packing List:

·      Outfit change/Backup outfit

·      ChapStick

·      Baby wipes

·      Tissues

·      Hand cream

·      Hairbrush

·      Toy(s)

·      Snacks

·      Water

·      Props

If you’re interested in booking a Family Portrait Session with us at Ginkgo Lens Photography, or have any questions at all, reach out to us today!

Serving Monmouth County NJ, Middlesex County NJ, Bergen County NJ, Ocean County NJ, Mercer County NJ, Hudson County NJ, and NYC. Willing to to travel for full sessions.