5 ways to nail your family photos

preparing for family photos sounds intimidating, but lets make it fun and stress free, shall we?

logistics

first things first. acknowledge the biggest challenge; getting out the door. when you have kids, its impossible to get out the door to run an errand, much less go to a photoshoot. but if you prep and pack ahead of time, it’ll make it easier.

feelings

not every photographer will agree with me on this one, but i’ll take a relaxed (meaning not rushed!) family over a frantically on-time family any day of the week.

relax. take your time. there may be complaints, eye rolls, extended car seat negotiations, ill-timed feedings, diaper blow outs, spousal snippiness. it’s okay! it’s normal!

you don’t have to be a happy family on the way to the session, to be a happy family at the session itself. that is way too much pressure. forget it. relax. and text me if you’re running super late so i can sneak a coffee in or something.

food

i don’t know about ya’ll, but snacks are an excellent way to keep me happy. #realtalk make sure everyone is well fed at home before you start getting ready.

for the session itself, have some surprise snacks packed. the best snacks are ones that won’t drip or stain. but we’re also going to need bribes… #morerealtalk hear me out. take their favorite snacks, open them ahead of time, and put them in a clear bag, or a neutral colored container. otherwise your family session is going to turn in to a commercial for pepperidge farm goldfish crackers real quick.

while you’re at it, consider dinner reservations for after your session. how often will you find yourselves all dressed up, loaded in the car, with nowhere to go. make an evening of it!

friends

for families with babies and toddlers, pack accessories that won’t mind having on camera. where possible, pack the blankies, lovies, dolls, cars and other accessories that will look best on camera. neutral colors, or ones that will coordinate with your outfits are best.

details

higher resolution cameras show higher levels of details, that may have been imperceptible on a phone camera. wipe down little one’s faces, and cheeks. for toddlers and kids, make sure paint, markers and dye have been removed from their hand. wipe off peeling temporary tattoos with baby oil, and remove or change chipping polish. clean nails. ask yourself, wwgd? (what would grandma do?). grandma would iron. and so should you. #sorry its true though…

and while we’re at it, why not bring grandma to the session too?

that’s it! those are my five ways to prep for your session. did i miss anything? what has worked well for your family?

-charlotte

what to wear for your family photos

wondering what to wear for your family pics? today, i’m sharing some quick tips for looking your best on camera.

the goal: showcase each person’s individual style, while visually supporting the close connection that you share.

color: instead of choosing a color palette, choose a family of color tones. my personal favorites are neutrals, pastels, and earth tones. if you want to go more bold, jewel tones are nice, but avoid overly bright/saturated colors which can throw off your natural skin tone on camera.

pattern: mix and match any pattern(s) you like within the same family of tones. if you decide on more than one pattern, be sure to have contrast. pair a large print with a smaller floral print. pair two matching floral prints in different colors. florals + stripes or dots. avoid finely woven stripes/plaids (like the ones commonly found on mens dress shirts). when photographed with a high resolution camera, those fine stripes appear like a wavey pattern called moire.

accessories: family photos are the perfect opportunity to go bold with accessories, such as jewelry, hats, and hair accessories. if you aren’t sure, bring a bunch of options with you to your session. we can photograph several different looks, leaving you with lots. of different options to choose from for the final product.

makeup: if you plan to wear makeup for your session, matte finishes look best on camera. shiny metallics, and the ever so popular highlighter powders can cause reflections that are amplified on camera, resulting in colorless white spots on camera.

other things that show up on camera: chipping nail polish, remnants of paint, marker or old temporary tattoos. hair elastics worn on the wrist, and smart phones in pockets.

shoes: often times an after thought, shoes that don’t match can be a big distraction. especially kids shoes which are seemingly only available in bright colors. they don’t need to be expensive, but I do recommend that they be well fitting and in a non-distracting color (neutral, tan beige etc.) this will help keep the visual focus of your images on the connection you share. <3

It's Fall!

is it just us, or did summer fly by? our first round of fall petite sessions wrapped up this past saturday, but there’s still plenty of time to get your photos done for the holiday season! we just added two new dates for our fall petite sessions, click on the photo above for the booking link! and keep your eyes peeled! next monday (a week from today) we’ll be announcing sessions at a local christmas tree farm! eek!

Just Added - Petite Sessions!

In case you haven't heard, we just added petite sessions to our booking page! Typically available on Friday evenings, petite sessions are 20 minute sessions perfect for a family photo refresh or milestone session. For more information, head over to our investment page. 

Join us on Instagram

guess what we bought today!? 🙊🙊🙊 #bubblesfordays

A post shared by Mischief & Mister (@mischiefandmr) on Jun 29, 2018 at 4:36pm PDT

Guess what? We're now on Instagram and we'd love to have you join us for beautiful pics and fun behind the scenes info. If you're following us on there, then you already heard that we got a BUBBLE MACHINE this weekend! BUBBLE. MACHINE. We're so excited. Good things happen when we go to Target unsupervised. Good things. If you wanna see what else we're up to, head on over to Instagram!