How to Prepare - FAMILY/GROUP FAMILY portrait sessions

Thank you for investing in a beautiful custom photography experience. Please know I am grateful you’ve entrusted Melissa Treen Photography in documenting these special moments for your family.

Family is everything to me - please know my heart - no one wants you to have a cherished portrait experience more than I do - it’s my heart's desire.

I have been professionally photographing families for over 15 years now and I am sharing some info below to help guide you and your family through this experience. Below are some helpful tips to prepare you for your group family portrait session. I welcome the opportunity to capture lasting memories of your growing family for generations to come.

Timing

Family portraits are conducted outdoors - in natural light - near sunrise (first hour of sunlight) or sunset (last hour of sunlight) - clients are advised to work around the timeframe of the youngest in the family.

I have been photographing little ones over 15 years professionally and I will be the first to tell you in my experience, MOST little ones do best at sunrise.

Sunset timing varies upon season, but most little ones are winding down for the day by the time sunset approaches. We want little ones fresh, happy & with a full tummy. I often say we need little one after a full night’s rest, fresh and happy with a full tummy (even if it’s breakfast on the way to the portrait session) and a clean bottom —- we want the most time available to work with the littles BEFORE nap time, so we want to begin the photoshoot just after a full night’s rest. Having a well rested little one is KEY to success.

If you select to do a sunset session with little ones … a FULL NAP just prior to the portrait session is VITAL - we want a good block of happy time to work with. Since naps are sometimes unpredictable and aren’t guaranteed, many parents find it more reliable to schedule a sunrise portrait session as a full night’s sleep is a more predictable way to ensure a well rested little one.

We suggest arriving on time & ensuring little ones are fully dressed (with a clean diaper- if they are still in diaper stage), hair fixed, socks, shoes on and all the details BEFORE I arrive. This request is for two reasons:

1) Our natural lighting timing is very limited and capturing family portraits/large family groups will likely require every minute that our natural light timeframe affords. Lighting is everything with photography & there will come a point at sunrise where the sun is too bright & harsh to shoot and also a point at sunset where we lose light (even BEFORE sunset) and it’s too dark to shoot. We specialize in offering the HIGHEST QUALITY portraits and all of these factors work together to produce this end result.

2) Having everyone fully dressing and ready before I arrive allows for little ones to work through any wardrobe changes in their own timing, without rush or stress and with time to acclimate to the situation.

Little Ones

We have much experience photographing little ones and here are some truths to share:

Every child is different. Little ones are completely unpredictable. We embrace the moment & capture each child in the unique season they are in, every moment is special.

Once a baby begins walking, they reach what we call an exploration age. This stage typically begins around 9-12 months and continues usually until kindergarten. During this stage, little ones are exploring the big world around them and they are very busy figuring life out. :)

During this stage - “posed” portraits may be fewer, candids may be more realistic to capture for adventurous little ones. I am a portrait photographer known for posed portraits, so I will always attempt posed portraits, but I will grab candids too, if needed.

I often tell parents, portraits place a spotlight on little ones, sometimes that puts a lot of pressure on little ones…. some are shy … others relish in the spotlight and gleam with joy… every child is different and we meet them where they are at - we focus on capturing each and their unique personality.

Don’t stress …

Little ones can sense our stress … I always aim to provide a low stress approach, guiding throughout the portrait experience. Trust the process and know I will do everything possible to capture all the goodness. Clients are often surprised to see the beauty captured during the “in-between” moments of the portrait session - sometimes they make for the best memories.

With little ones, I often suggest talking with your littles multiple times - for days in advance of the photo shoot. There are a few ways to do this… you can definitely try all below and even some other approaches also. :)

  • Some parents will role play what a portrait session will be - even with playing baby dolls or super heroes and pretending they are having their portraits taken, posing, sitting, standing, posing with family …even a pretend to be a photographer, the more they are familiarized with the process, the more comfort they may find in the portrait experience.

  • Some parents show photo albums or art work and show family portraits, showing little ones this is what we are going to do…

  • Some parents talk through a photography experience during story time - making it fun, exciting and a fun surprise to look forward to…

We will interact with little ones throughout the portrait session, but over the years we have found NO ONE brings out the smiles, giggles and sheer joy more than PARENTS! We love having a parent directly behind us (so little ones are looking at camera) doing a goofy dance, singing a silly song, sneezing loudly, making crazy sounds, telling funny stories, etc… whatever it takes to grab those beautiful smiles.

Groupings

With large families, there will be a lot of focus on capturing a group portrait. This will take a significant portion of time as we focus on getting all in frame and looking at the camera.

We will break up individual families and/or individual pairings as requested - as much as time allows. Please provide us with a list (in-advance) via email of specific pairings (in order of importance) you wish to capture during our time together and we will work through as many as possible (hopefully all) in our allotted time.

Special Accommodations

Please make us aware of any special accommodations days or weeks PRIOR to your portrait session so we can work together to ensure a successful solution. This includes, but not limited to: a family member than requires limited physical movement, special posing requirements like sitting only or standing only, temperature requests, locations requests, or any special requests and/or limitations…

What to Wear

We have a detailed section of the website for “What to Wear” samples and details, but I suggest picking a color palette that works well for everyone. All do not have to “twin” or match exactly… you’re just looking for a cohesive color palette that works well together so all images mesh well despite who is in the groupings of portraits.

Some of my favorite options create a light and airy feel with hints of cream, white, blush, light pastel colors … definitely AVOID fluorescent, neon colors as they leave a color cast on skin tones that can not be edited out. Since we photograph in nature - typically you may wish to avoid green in wardrobe selection so you do not blend in with the background.

Keep in mind the subject of the portrait (you & your family) should be the focus - avoid large logos/graphics on clothing as they can distract the focus of the portrait- your eyes will naturally be drawn to the logos/graphics.

In general, for professional portraits - shorts are not the best option… I always suggest full length pants - vs. shorts - even in summer.

Make sure little ones are wearing comfy clothing and shoes. We may walk a bit during our time together - be sure shoes are comfy.

Be sure to try-on clothing options PRIOR to your portrait session to ensure proper fit on each family member.

We may sit on the ground for portraits - wear something that you would be comfortable sitting on the ground.

In chilly weather - layers are your friend.

In windy weather - have something to secure your hair back or in place. You may wish to bring hairspray, combs, brushes and styling aids for quick fix.