Family photo sessions are often the most stressful for the mamas. We’re the ones who take care of EVERYTHING: planning the session, finding outfits for everyone, making sure naps and meals align. And then the photos start happening and no one wants to participate. Chaos reigns supreme and the session ends in tears🙈
If this sounds familiar, and you’ve sworn off family photo sessions for good…I PROMISE your next one can be different. It just takes a different kind of prep and a little mindset shift. My Baltimore family photo sessions are fun and happy and chaos can still reign for a little bit. In all the play and the chaos, a lot of the in-between sweet moments happen. And honestly? That’s the really good stuff you’ll want photos of when your kids are all grown up 🤍
Here are my tips for what to do to have a stress free family photo session:
1.Prepare your kids! Let them know what you’re doing ahead of time; tell them you’re going to snuggle, play and take some fun pictures in the day! This helps them understand what they’re going to be doing and what to expect.
2.Follow their lead during the session. Kids don’t need to be still for you to get amazing family photos. Movement is often where the magic happens! Expect wiggles, silliness and short attention spans.
3.Focus on connection, not perfection. Kids know when you’re stressed, so just relax and have fun and they will too! The sweet moments will happen naturally.
4.Make it fun, don’t make it seem like a chore. Plan a treat for afterwards, play their favorite songs in the car on the way to the session, and most importantly let them know they’ll get to have FUN during the photos!
5.Expect real life moments to happen. A little chaos is normal; so are tears and grumpy kids. Kids will be kids. If they need a moment to have a snack, to be held, we’ll take those moments to reset and pivot. It’s okay to pause and re-group with them.
I’m not saying following those tips will give you a 100 percent fool-proof, stress free photo session. But they will certainly help a whole lot and will help manage your expectations and your kids expectations before and during the photo session.
Mama, make sure you save this post for your future self, and while you’re at it, send it to a mama friend who could use it, too 🩷
