You know you need to schedule a portrait session in a few weeks, when the family activities slow down.

You want to look better in pictures.

Right now you hate the way you look, the way the winter cold stopped you from starting your workout plan. “I’ll start monday” became a weekly mantra (confession: I’m currently saying that right now). Monday never comes and I’m currently eating donuts, I mean you, you are currently eating donuts. 😉

It’s easier to get portraits of just the kids every year and not get the family portrait.

After all they are the ones that change so much, not you. You’ll do it next year, after you lose that last 20 pounds. Next year comes around and you’re still not happy with how you look and before you know it, it’s been five years, ten years since your last family portrait. Now the kids are heading off to college, getting married and starting a family of their own.

What happens if you never make that appointment?

Will your children have anything to look back on? What message does that send your children? Sure plenty of portraits of them, they are adorable after all, but where is Mom? There will come a time when pictures are all that’s left, and your grandchildren and great-grandchildren will never know you, if you don’t exist in photographs. No one will remember why you didn’t show up for pictures but they will remember the pictures you showed up in. Your children aren’t the only ones worth photographing.

You are worthy too. Flaws and all.

We have had these misconceptions of what beauty is. Our daughters listen to society telling them how to look or how they are not pretty enough. They watch you look in the mirror at yourself and tell yourself you’re not good enough. All while telling them that they are beautiful. Yet, they look just like you. They look to you for their self image.

How you see yourself is how they will see themselves in the future.

When you are looking at portraits of generations past, your mother, father, grandmother… Looking back on photographs, we all look better in pictures than how we envisioned ourselves at the time. Everyone seems flawless, they are flawless in the photograph. All the memories flood back to you. Mom couldn’t get her hair perfect that day, she said she looks “fat,” or as my grandma says “she has old people skin.” One of the kids spit up on her favorite outfit, her “face” wasn’t put on, and her heal broke but somehow she looks perfect. She always looks perfect. Her hair has just the right amount of curl and the makeup, so natural. Remembering her beauty when she was so young reminds you of yourself or even your teenage daughter.

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Do you know what your body type is? Are you choosing clothing that flatters your body type? Download our guide for ‘What To Wear For Your Body Type” so that you can gain the confidence you need to look better in pictures.

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These are the moments that will last a lifetime. Moments frozen in time that will tell a story beyond our years.

I have a photograph of my Great Grandpa Tom, taken well before I was born, probably a few decades before my mom was even thought of. I’m not sure of the exact year but the photograph was black and white, it has lost its glossy finish and looks more like a piece of paper with a photograph printed on it. On the back it reads:

“Sorry I was carrying some chemicals and spilt some on the picture my love.”

He wrote those words to my Great-Grandma Goldie. She was 15 at the time and Great-Grandpa was 18. As the story is told, he left the picture by the lake tree, a large white oak tree that curved toward the lake. They did this every week, left each other notes in the lake tree, but this is the first time she would receive a portrait of him. They did this for 3 years. Until my Great Grandma moved out and married the handsome man in the photograph.

The photograph is far from perfect.

The spill marks are little white dots on the bottom of the print. It has to be well over 100 years old, faded and not perfect, but the family story behind that one picture will last through my lifetime.

The next generation will read the same words and maybe even see a resemblance in their young ones. Everyone in the family has his nose, the same nose we all hate. The same nose we all wish would look better in pictures. This gift to me and my family was something Great Grandpa Tom would have never known he was giving me.

Imagine this being your grandchildren, having just one picture can bring up a lifetime of memories and family stories.

I know it can be hard. You look in the mirror and what you see is not how you think you should look but your children see you as perfection, as the inspiring woman that gave birth to them.  They want you there. They want you present, in the photograph.

It doesn’t matter if the day is a total disaster, if your hair is doing “that thing again” or if you just feel bloated and not pretty. On top of all of that you also know that the camera adds 10 pounds, which is the last thing you need to hear. What if I told you that you can overcome that extra 10 pounds and then some?

What if all you have to do is show up and the right photographer can do just that?

The correct lighting, posing, and camera position, combined with the appropriate clothing choices for your body type, will give you confidence and help you to achieve a look that you are guaranteed to love.

If you are not feeling your best or you’re nervous about how you look, ask your photographer for suggestions on what to wear, how to do your hair and makeup or other tips they might have to help you feel more comfortable. These are skills every great photographer should have. We would love to share this knowledge, so you always look better in pictures.

It’s that time of year again. The dreaded family portrait day.

Can you ever really prepare for family pictures?

Let’s be honest, your youngest is going to be hungry, ripping his tie off, possibly making you pull out your hair. Your in-laws will be running late, as usual, and your teenage daughter doesn’t want to smile.

Your husband is watching football on his phone and it’s “3rd and goal,” whatever that means. And after all this running around, you’re jumping into your car not even realizing you forgot to finish getting yourself ready.

Now that I’ve stressed you out.

This is not every family, but we all have our family portrait stresses. So how can you prepare for family pictures and have the day run as smooth as possible?

Don’t hesitate to be over-prepared.

First, research your photographer options and decide on which kind of portrait style that you want. Check out our earlier post on how to find the best family photographer for some helpful tips.

Next, consider the time of day you want to schedule your portrait sitting. Make sure it is not around nap time, lunch or dinner for the younger ones, or even yourself?

It is very hard to get a little one to smile or sit still when their napping schedule is messed up or they are hungry. Add the stressful new environment, flashing lights, and some strange person acting goofy, and you have a recipe for a grumpy portrait.

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Once you have chosen your photographer, call them, ask for suggestions.

After all, they are the experts. Every photographer will give you the essential list to pack for the young ones (sometimes even your teenage kids) and yourself. All the details can be overwhelming at first.

If it is important to you to meet the photographer before the session, ask if this is something they do. If your child is shy or has special needs this might be important to know and your photographer should feel it is important as well.

After booking your session, you will have an idea of what you want your family portrait to look like.

So decide on your outfits and get your clothing dry cleaned or pressed and set aside.

If you aren’t happy with the clothes you own but don’t want to buy all new outfits, search for “rent dresses” online and you will find many online retailers where you can rent beautiful dresses for a fraction of the cost of buying them.

Alright so here comes the best part, pampering yourself.

Take some “you” time to make yourself look and feel better before your session. If you dye your hair or even just need a haircut, make sure to schedule your appointment for 2-3 weeks before your portrait session.

Any waxing appointments should be at least one week beforehand but steer clear of any facials. They can cause skin reactions such as rashes and redness that may take a while to go away. Your nails can be done a day or two beforehand.

If you plan to have your hair and makeup done professionally, allow at least an hour and a half.

It’s best to keep your makeup consistent with how you usually wear it. If you normally don’t wear a lot of makeup, ask your makeup artist for a natural look.

One thing nobody thinks of is extra helpers.

Does your child have a favorite person, grandma, grandpa, or the daily babysitter? Why not bring them along as extra help? Not only will this cut your workload for the day in half but it will provide the kids (and you) with a sense of comfort with a familiar face.

Once you have all the appointments and clothing choices made, make a list of everything you will need for the day of the session.

Snacks, messy snacks, favorite snacks, any snacks that will help ease the stress of being in a new place and feeling hungry.

Don’t forget to bring snacks for yourself, after all nobody really wants to eat slobbered cheerios. Also let your photographer know if there are any allergies. It may sound strange but the last thing anyone wants is for someone to spill peanut butter and the next child has a peanut allergy. (I know, didn’t help the anxiety)

Extra dress clothes, after all we did just suggest messy snacks.

You know your kids better than anybody and how they can get dirty in an airtight, white glove inspected room. You can’t really over prepare for family pictures. Right?

Play clothes for after the session.

If the photographer shows you the portraits right away, the young ones will get antsy and want to play. Let them, after all, they also had a stressful day. Even if the photographer doesn’t have a viewing the same day, there is no reason to ruin perfectly good dress clothing on the way back home.  

Favorite toys before, during and after the session is a great tool for grownup sanity.

A lot of photographers will use toys to get kids to laugh, and will ensure real smiles or laughter from your kids as well as yourself. It will also allow your child to relax and feel more comfortable in the studio space, that can sometimes be frightening.

You have everything packed into the vehicle, you’ve done everything you need to do to prepare for family pictures, now what?

The night before the session get a full night’s rest. Give yourself time to breathe. Meditate, yoga, or just sit back and enjoy a glass of tea for a moment before you get to work on getting the family ready.

If at all possible show up a little early, get everyone dressed at the studio. This way everyone gets dressed and heads straight into the portrait to avoid any unnecessary messes on the way. Last minute touch ups with hair, makeup, and clothing can be done at the studio as well.

Don’t forget to practice your best Marilyn Monroe pose in the mirror. 😉