It was my turn to have family photos done!  A friend of mine is also a photographer, so we did a swap.  Somehow, I had forgotten how much work goes into picking the right outfits for the family, and through this exercise of being in front of the camera for a change, I was reminded of a few things that I thought I would share with you as you prepare yourself for your next family photos:

1.  Bring water – as soon as we arrived, our middle daughter claimed she was dying of thirst.  There was no distracting her from this until she had a drink.

2.  Bring treats – small ones that can be eaten quickly and spread out through the session work the best.  Craisins, M&Ms, Skittles…

3.  Pay attention to shoes – as insignificant as shoes may seem, they definitely show in the photos and can help set the tone for the photos

4.  Color makes a difference – I often advise my clients to incorporate some “pop of color” in their wardrobe.  Something red, yellow, green, any other bright colour (think accessories, hair clip, scarf, or a piece of clothing or shoes)

5.  Co-ordinate, don’t match – you do not need to all wear white shirts with khaki pants.  Instead, find outfits with a similar tone or feel to them.  For example, for our shoot, I wanted an urban, modern/stylish look.  So, when I was picking a dress for Evera, rather than a frilly dress, I went with one that had the feel that we were going for.

6.  Embrace reality – rather than fight the kids to put on cheesy smiles, appreciate all their little expressions and think of photos as a time to remember their personalities at this stage in life.

To see more photos from our photo session, you can check out my friend, Maria’s, blog at: http://www.mariacphotography.com/blog/2012/11/10/moore-family/