How often should we have family portraits taken?

The answer to this commonly asked question is - as often as you’d like.

There is no rule of socially prescribed norm for how often you should engage your family photographer. Every family is different. I have clients that come to me at least once a year, sometimes more often, and others that I have only seen once.

Here are my thoughts.

• Take into account things like the age of your kids. They are only this age NOW. Soon they will be grown or perhaps unwilling to have their photo taken.
• Do you have any upcoming events such as weddings, christenings, starting school, finishing school, Christmas, birthdays or a family reunion? All of these events encourage families to get together so its a great opportunity to include everyone
• The Weather. Winter photos are vastly different to Summer. Autumn in some places is beautiful and a great chance to catch some colourful images and include the landscape.
• Whats on your walls now? Will you put them on your walls or do you want and album? Are you looking for digital images for a slideshow? Do you have just one more frame to fill? 
• Should you include Grandparents? How old are they, are they mobile? Do you have any photos with them?
• Have you finished having children? Is your family complete? Do you want to include your Fur Babies? Pets are an intrinsic part of our families in most cases, why not bring them along?
• Time and history do not repeat so the best time is now.
• Every one to two years would be fantastic record of your families growth. 
• It does not need to be an expensive exercise and a good family photographer can guide you well.

Contact me if you'd like to chat further or book a session. 

Preparing for a Photo Session

To most people, taking a family photo or any decent photos of their kids at all can be an elusive and down right tricky thing. Normally there's one parent behind the camera and the other wrangling the kidlets. So if you've decided to book a professional family photo session, it pays to Be Prepared Beforehand. Everyone loves, and deserves, quality, beautiful photos of their children and themselves.

Here are my top 4 tips for a fun, beautiful and stress-free photo session.

1. Always remember - Children don’t have to be perfectly behaved for the session. Shutter speeds are really fast and can capture moments in between “those times”. Let your photographer guide your children and don't stress too much A good pro will have them playing along in no time.
2. Don't bribe your kids before hand. It rarely works and kids will often associate the bribe with a painful experience beforehand i.e the photo session may be BAD! Let the photographer guide the children in the session. Both standing behind them to get the kids to smile is not going to work. It confuses the kids and makes it hard for them to understand what required of them. I will often let the kids ‘run’ the session. e.g.. I let them choose a spot for photos at least once in the session. I ask them what they’d like to do or if my idea is a good idea or not. Helps them feel more in control of the proceedings.
3. Actually speak to a photographer. Lots of people email around for price lists but if you don't actually like your photographer or you don't 'click' then the session may not be as fun. Pick up the phone or ask them to call you. It pays to know a little about the photographers personality. Compare photographers and pick the best fit for your family. Talk to them and see if your personalities work together.
4. Trust in your photographer. Check their previous work. Are they qualified? You will probably pay a little more for the right photographer but it will be ever so worth it. Quality will last forever.