Welcome Guide for Extended Families
Please share this with everyone in your group!
This is geared towards extended family sessions. I often get requests to take portraits when the whole big fam is getting together, especially since tourism is big here in central New Hampshire!
I know trying to get your extended family together for pictures can seem stressful. But that's why I'm here. I've put together this guide to help you prep, and then at the session just let me take the reigns.
Along with this page, I'll have sent you a brief questionnaire. This helps me get to know my clients a little better before we get to the shoot. Feel free to write as much or as little as you'd like. It will help with planning your session, as well as when I photograph your family.
Location: My strengths as a natural light shooter means that I really love outdoor sessions. A beautiful field is such a simple and gorgeous backdrop. As many extended families are from out of town, I am happy to recommend locations near where you are staying. Many families also request that I come to their vacation property. One thing I like to mention is that I usually shoot with the sun behind you (to give the image that glow) and so properties that face west for evening light are ideal. Another option is to do something completely unique to you! For instance, if your family loves to ski, we could do a gondola ride.
Time of shoot: It may come as a surprise, but this is one of the most important pieces of the session. As the sun goes down it provides the best lighting for photos, we photographers call it the "golden hour", and trust me, it's magical for pictures. Evening light not only is very even, clean, and flattering, but it's also how I get glowing backgrounds if it's sunny the day of our shoot. Shooting anytime midday with harsh sun and shadows isn't flattering. Most session appointments will be arranged in the late afternoon and evening, which can vary throughout the year and be a little on the earlier side in late autumn.
Happy Kids: 1. Kids with full bellies are happy kids! Though evening time can sometimes conflict with dinner, please plan to have something filling to eat before the session. This is especially true for babies and toddlers, but really everyone.
2. Naps. If you think your child will need a nap that day, please schedule your day to make sure they can get one. Another important thing to note is to please wake them up a full 20 minute before the session, as this gives them a little time to pep back up!
Naps and snacks before make things go so much better!
During the session, please don't stress about them behaving! I love photographing children, so I have quite a few tricks up my sleeve.
What to wear: The name of the game is coordinating, not matching. The days of all jeans and white shirts are out! I recommend picking 3-4 colors. Picking just one color looks flat. Two colors isn't usually much better because if they aren't bright it can lack a little visual interest.
Also, I recommend that everyone either all wear shoes, or all go barefoot. Either of those look great depending on the scene, but it can look a bit odd when some are barefoot while others aren't.
* Important tip for hair! I highly, highly recommend hairspray for your session, even if it's not something you generally use. Small flyaways in your face are distracting both when we're taking photos and in final images. A little hairspray just before the session can help a lot! Consider extra hairspray, clips, and updos on especially windy days.
After the Session
Sometime after your session, I will usually show a few fun sneak peeks on social media. Please tag yourself, feel free to "share" it or even use it as a profile picture (but please don't crop out my logo).
The turn-around time for your gallery is 3 weeks. You will receive an email from me three weeks after your session with a link to your gallery right on my website, as well as a password. From there it is just a couple clicks to download all of your images! This is also an easy way to send your images to other family that may want to also download them. Your gallery will be available for 2 months. I recommend immediately backing up your images on a USB drive, to dropbox.com, or however else you backup your files. Oops, accidentally lost your photos? I've got your back. I do keep backups of your edited images for 3 years, however there will be a small charge to reload your archived gallery.
In a hurry? I offer rush editing, delivering your gallery within one week.
Along with digitals, you will also receive a print credit to order prints directly from my site. I highly recommend ordering your framable prints through this service, as my prints will come from a professional lab that is open only to pro-photographers. The archival paper and print quality are unsurpassed, and my screen is matched to their labs so that the colors are true. The general big box chain stores like Walmart, CVS, etc. do not have printing professionals and often the color will be off, with t much saturation, or they will be cropped wrong. I speak from experience!
If you loved your images, I'd love to hear it! I always appreciate a review on Google and on Facebook.
The best thank you I can receive is a referral!