Six techniques for getting the most out of a family session.

So a few weeks ago, I brought my friend and her family to a pumpkin patch and took their family photos. It was a lot of fun to practice my new skills. It's equally as fun to see how far I've progressed in my photo skills in the last year! A year ago my photos all came out but were not all great. This year, understanding metering better and the post process stuff at the lab, I feel so much more confident in my photo taking abilities. :D

Here are some techniques I find myself doing to get the most out of a family session. 

1) Make mom feel gorgeous. It was easy to do because, lets face it, this mom IS gorgeous! I mean look at that smile!

2) Make dad feel like this is kinda fun. It takes a little bit more time for guys to get into the photo session. By making the session a relaxing time, talk with them and give them direction, focusing on the kids, etc, they seem to get into the spirit of the whole thing.

3) Interact with the kiddos and let them do their kiddo thing. They will have a much better time, and you will be able to get them to cooperate for poses, when you let them enjoy the space they are in.

4) Find the right opportunity to take those posed shots of the kiddos. Usually after they've had some fun.

5) Even if the kids are crying and acting all crazy, find a way to take awesome pictures of mom and dad. Can you believe these shots were taken with their kids tugging at their feet?

6) Take your time because some of the best pictures with kids happen near the end.

FujiPro400 developed by Richard Photo with Tanja Lippert's color profile.