5 things you should know before your family session:


1. It's not that serious.

Don’t get me wrong… the money you saved and the hours it took you to invest in this session are valuable. Absolutely. -and you should (without question) hire someone who takes your time and money seriously. However, this is not a life or death situation. When all is said and done, no one will die because your two year old acted like a two year old during family pictures. Which, in turn, brings me back to my point: it’s not that serious. If no one dies from it, it’s not that serious… and no, your husband THINKING he’s dying from family pictures is not the same thing as actually dying. Ask yourself: are you taking family pictures to impress your friends with how tidy your two year old looks in your social media posts, dressed to impress in this season’s fashion fads OR are you taking family pictures to document your family in this season of life… which just happens to be the season of life where your two year old acts like an a**hole sometimes? If you asked yourself those questions and you realized you’re looking for highlight reels for social media, hire a model. Your real kids won’t work for this. On the other hand, if you’re simply trying to document this season of your life as a family, then relax. Let your kid be an a**hole, save it as blackmail when they’re teenagers, and thank me later.


2. Let them wear the boots.

The boots, the hat, the glasses, the non-itchy pants. Whatever the "thing" is that they’re giving you grief over… let them wear it. If someone stuffed me into itchy, tight pants and told me to look happy, I can assure you, I’d only be able to do one of those two things. I can either wear the tight, itchy pants OR I can look happy, but I cannot do both. Neither can your kid. It’s not worth the power struggle. It’s not that (what?) SERIOUS. We’re not going for a fashionable highlight reel, remember? We’re going for emotion and authenticity. There’s a reason why I don’t spend tons of time creating “what to wear” guides. I’m sure it’s helpful for some people, but to me it’s the least of my worries. Just show up. Bring yourself. Bring your kid and for the love of God, let them wear the boots.


3. Food gets you farther than fear.

Sure, threatening your kid works for the most part, but hear me out: Have you ever promised your kid a punishment? What about an ice cream cone? Which one did they smile for? Exactly. That’s it. That’s the lesson. Pure, old-fashioned bribery, folks. Food gets your farther than fear.


4. Trust your photographer.

None of the first three steps will work if you don’t hire a photographer you trust and know can take on your crew. Ask your photographer if they have experience with families… specifically families with a tiny dictator or angsty teen or grouchy spouse. Ask your photographer to see full galleries of families with kids close to the same age as your kids. This will let you know if someone is adapt to handle your family. A good photographer will know how to handle a tiny dictator, reason with angsty teens, and make dads look like they are really having a good time. You don’t need to carry all that weight. Your family feeds off your emotions. Delegate the hard work to a photographer suited for the job. Let them be the ring leader while you sit back and enjoy the circus.


5. It’s not that serious.

It’s not that serious. Ok, fine. I’m just reiterating my first tip because 5 tips sounded a lot more catchy than, “4 things you should know before your family session”… but, it’s also the only tip I want you to leave here with engrained in your brain. IT’S NOT THAT SERIOUS. Think of your favorite photo of yourself as a child. Think about your favorite photo of your parent or grandparent. More than likely, it’s not a picture of you or them dressed to the nines. It’s a picture that makes you FEEL something when you see it. That emotion doesn’t come from wearing itchy, tight pants (trust me, I know) or being threatened to smile. That emotion comes from being content and happy and loved and in the moment. It comes from not taking something too seriously and just being.


Now, go find you a photographer that can handle your monkeys… and I’ll go overthink how I said a**hole three times in my first blog post.