What to Expect When You Arrive at Your Photo Session

Because no two families- and no two sessions- should flow exactly the same way.

One of the questions I hear see online before a session is some version of:

What are we supposed to do?

And if you're bringing little kids, it's usually followed by:

What if they don't cooperate?

Here's the good news: you don't need to know what to do. And I don't need your kids to arrive ready to perform.

I come into every session with a plan, but I don't follow the exact same formula for every person who steps in front of my camera.

Some families are ready to jump right in. Some toddlers need ten minutes attached to Mom's hip before they'll even acknowledge my existence. Some couples are naturally playful together. Others feel much more comfortable when I tell them exactly where to stand, where to put their hands, and what to do next.

Part of my job is figuring out what your people need- and adjusting the session accordingly.

We Always Start With the Classic

At the beginning of almost every session, I'll get everyone together for that classic look-at-the-camera-and-smile photo.

There's actually a reason for it.

First, it gives me a chance to double-check my camera settings. Lighting is different at every session.. even at locations I've photographed dozens of times, so I'll make those final adjustments once you're standing exactly where I want to begin.

But there's another reason that's arguably even more important:

I'm watching you.

Not in a creepy way. Promise. LOL.

Those first few minutes tell me a lot about how our session should flow.

Are the everyone looking at me and happily following directions? Great. We may knock out several of our more traditional portraits while everyone is fresh and cooperative.

Is your toddler burying his face in your shoulder and absolutely refusing to be put down?

That's okay, too.

We're changing the plan.

Your Child Doesn't Have to “Cooperate” for Me to Photograph Them

I remember photographing a family session with a toddler who wanted absolutely nothing to do with being put down or looking at me when Mom asked him to.

So we stopped asking.

Instead, Mom carried him.

She snuggled him. Walked with him. Showed him things around the field. Rocks. Flowers. Loved on him. Played with him exactly the way she would if I hadn't been standing there with a camera.

And I photographed that.

As he got more comfortable, everything changed. Eventually he was exploring, playing and giving us those little expressions and smiles we'd hoped for.

That gallery ended up being some of my favorite work I've created in a long time.

If we'd spent the first twenty minutes repeatedly saying, “Look at the camera! Smile! Come stand right here!” we probably would've had a frustrated toddler, a stressed-out mom, and a session that felt like work for everyone involved.

Instead, we met him where he was.

Sometimes the fastest way to get a child comfortable in front of the camera is to stop asking them to be comfortable in front of the camera.

And You're Going to Hear My Camera Click... A Lot

Fair warning: you're probably going to hear my camera click approximately 2,000 times. Lol.

I'm not waiting for your toddler to stand perfectly still, look directly at me, and hold a beautiful smile while I carefully take one picture.

If they look up and give me the sweetest little grin for half a second, I'm trying to catch it.

Kids move quickly. Their expressions change even faster. So while you're walking, playing, snuggling, exploring, or trying to convince your toddler that I'm not nearly as suspicious as they've decided I am, I'm constantly watching.

That means you may leave your session thinking, I don't know if she got a SINGLE picture of him smiling.

Meanwhile, I saw the half-second smile.

I saw the nose scrunch.

I saw the way he looked up at you when you kissed his forehead.

I saw the little laugh you didn't even realize happened.

And my camera was clicking through all of it.

Sometimes the photograph you end up loving most existed for less than a second.

You don't have to make your child hold the moment. My job is to catch it.

Adults Need Different Things, Too

This isn't only about kids.

I also once photographed a couple who weren't immediately super comfortable in front of the camera.

And honestly? That's incredibly normal.

Most people don't regularly stand in a field while another adult points a giant camera at them and says, “Okay, now love each other!” 

They needed more direction, so I gave it.

I spent more of their session intentionally posing them: where to stand, how to position themselves, where to put their hands; and then mixed in prompts that created movement, laughter and connection.

Their gallery?

Absolutely beautiful.

That's why I don't believe there's one “correct” session flow.

Giving one client tons of freedom might create magic. Giving another that same amount of freedom might leave them thinking, PLEASE JUST TELL ME WHAT TO DO WITH MY HANDS.

I pay attention.

Posed AND Candid: You Don't Have to Choose

My sessions aren't completely posed, and they're not completely documentary.

We'll do both.

I'll guide you into those beautiful, wall-worthy portraits where everyone is positioned intentionally and looking their best.

But we'll also walk.

We'll explore.

We'll play.

We'll snuggle.

And we'll probably do something that feels mildly ridiculous for approximately three seconds.

Those moments are often what create my favorite photographs.

Before every session, I save inspiration to my phone based on your session, location and the people I'm photographing. For more intentionally posed images, I may even show you an inspiration photo so you can see exactly what I'm asking you to do.

For other images, I'll give you a prompt instead.

And sometimes those prompts sound... questionable.

Yes, I Might Ask You to “Kiss With Your Teeth”

If I tell a couple to kiss with their teeth, I promise I'm not secretly trying to create the world's most awkward engagement announcement.

I don't actually care about photographing the weird tooth-kiss.

I'm waiting for the half-second afterward.

The moment you pull away, realize how ridiculous that felt, look at each other and genuinely laugh.

Click.

That's the photograph.

Prompts aren't always designed around photographing the thing I'm asking you to do.

Sometimes I'm creating the movement, reaction, or emotion that happens because you did it.

Those genuine laughs and natural smiles are very hard to manufacture by simply telling someone:

Okay! Now laugh naturally!

Nothing makes a person forget how laughter works faster.

Your Questionnaire Matters More Than You Think

This is also why I ask you to complete a questionnaire before your session.

I don't send it because I desperately need to know everyone's favorite color.

I'm planning.

A solo branding session needs a completely different approach than a couple's session. A family with older children is different from a family with three toddlers. A quiet child may need something completely different from their outgoing sibling.

Your questionnaire tells me who's coming, what matters to you, what kinds of images you're drawn to, and anything else I should know before we meet.

And your preferences matter, too.

Some people LOVE direction. They want me to pose them throughout the entire session and tell them exactly what to do.

Some people want the polished portraits but are also ready to kick their shoes off, wander into a creek, chase their kids around, and see what happens.

Neither is wrong.

Your session should feel like you.

The more thoughtfully you complete your questionnaire, the better I can prepare to photograph your people.

And If the Plan Changes? We Change With It.

I can save inspiration. I can plan poses and prompts. I can arrive knowing exactly what I'd love to create.

And then your three-year-old can decide absolutely none of that is happening today.

That's family photography.

I'm not going to spend your entire session fighting against your child's personality because I had a particular photograph planned.

If they need to stay in your arms, we'll photograph them there.

If they need to explore, let's explore.

If everyone is doing wonderfully with direction, we'll take advantage of it.

If you need more guidance, I'll give you more.

If everyone loosens up halfway through and suddenly wants to have fun, I'll follow that energy.

The plan serves your session. Your family doesn't have to serve my plan.

Before We Finish, I'll Always Ask One More Question

Once I feel confident that I've captured everything I came into the session wanting to create, I'll check in with you:

Is there anything we haven't gotten that you really wanted?

This is your moment.

Maybe you noticed a spot at the location that you love. Maybe you had an image in your head but forgot to mention it beforehand. Maybe Grandma specifically requested one photograph of all three kids looking at the camera and you know you'll hear about it until Christmas if we don't try to get it.

Tell me.

I never want to leave and find out afterward that there was something important to you that we could have easily photographed while we were together.

Once we're both happy that we've gotten everything we wanted, we're done!

From there, you get to head home, and I get to start turning everything we just created into your finished gallery.

You Don't Have to Worry About How Your Session Will Go

You don't need perfectly behaved children.

You don't need to practice posing.

You don't need to know what to do with your hands.

And you definitely don't need to spend your session worrying that things aren't going according to plan.

That's my job.

I'll arrive with ideas. I'll guide you when you need guidance. I'll step back when something beautiful is happening without me. And I'll adjust as I get to know the personalities standing in front of my camera.

Because the goal isn't to make every client fit into the same session flow.

It's to create a session flow that fits you, and photographs that actually feel like the people in them.