What is the Flow of a Typical Outdoor Family Photography Session?
Showing up to a family photography session can be a bit nerve-wracking for parents. Even with all the preparation and communication before the session, parents can have some anxiety about how their kids’ energy will match the flow of the photo session. Will their kids be shy and hesitant to participate? Will their kids behave like feral hyenas? Will their kids “last” the whole session? My unequivocal answer is to all parents is “YES. Your kids will last for the whole session.” Furthermore, whether they’re more shy or more outgoing, I typically stick to the same order of things in the session flow. It just works!
Start Family Session With Camera-Aware Portraits (aka Posed Shots)
The beginning of the session is when I have the kids’ attention. It’s when they’re curious about checking me out and more inclined to look my way. It’s also when they’re least likely to be fully relaxed and themselves so trying to get candids at this stage is tough. For all these reasons, this is time I get all those shots of everyone looking a the camera. While these shots are usually the least dynamic of the session, they’re commonly the shots that families use for holiday cards or to frame and give the grandparents. ☺️
Directed Action Shots Happen Midway Through Session
Once kids (and parents) are warmed up, we get moving. I’m a big believer that adding movement - any kind of movement - gets people out of their heads and allows their personality to come though more. It naturally gets the energy up which naturally elicits smiles and laughs. Beyond that, photographs showing movement is often more interesting than photographs where everyone is holding still.
Finish Family Photo Session With Candid Shots
Once we pass the halfway point of the session, I usually don’t need to do much or any directing as the momentum of the session is propelling it forward on its own. This is the time during the session when parents are most relaxed. It’s also the time when kds are the weirdest and goofiest and when anything can happen. I consider my job at this point to be mostly about observing and capturing and these shots are usually my favorite shots of the session.
