Fun Family Photos With Kids – My Top 5 Tips

So you have booked your family session and you are feeling a little nervous about how your kids will react. I get it! You are putting your hard-earned money towards this session, and you want it to go perfectly. You most likely want to put those pictures on your walls, too. After photographing many families, I have seen what works great to get some fun family photos. The best way to have a fun family photo session is to trust your photographer. While I work my magic and guide your session to be fun, here are some extra tips for you to to feel extra confident going into your family session.

Trust your photographer to get some fun family photos

First thing I would like my clients to know is that they can trust me to make your family session fun. I know it can be tempting to ask your kids to smile at the camera, but I have learned that it tends to do the exact opposite. Even if they do smile, a forced smile is not as authentic as those that come from genuine moments of connection. As your photographer, I come prepared with prompts that will help your family feel comfortable in front of the camera, leading to fun and natural moments of connection. When I guide your family throughout the session, you will be doing movements rather than poses. Whether it be walking, tickling, or playing a fun game, your photos will reflect all of the fun you will have with your kids during your session.

If you’re also preparing for a maternity session, I’ve also shared tips on how to prepare for your maternity session in my Getting Ready For Your Bellevue Pregnancy Photos blog.

Warming up for fun family photos

When working with families that have younger children, they tend to be quite shy or nervous at first, which is totally fair—I am a stranger taking pictures of them, who wouldn’t be! The first 10 minutes of your session are going to be focused on me building trust with the kids first. I do this by taking time to ask them questions and maybe even showing them my camera and giving them a breakdown of what we are going to do for the session. My family sessions are scheduled for an hour, which gives me plenty of time to create a relationship with the family, getting everyone comfortable enough for a relaxed session. Giving your kiddos some time to warm up to the session is the best way to ensure fun family photos.

Fun family photos means letting your kids be kids

This tip is probably the most important one of all: let your kids simply be kids. As a parent you are tempted to ask your kids to stop goofing off and smile at the camera. Trust me, I find myself doing that when getting our family pictures done too! However, I find that it only accomplishes two things. Either you successfully get your child to smile, but then you are seen talking in the picture. Or it sends your kids into a bad mood. Instead of asking your kids to do things, let them do their thing! If they want to make silly faces, let them! It always ends with a great smile that I can capture. Lifestyle photography is focused on capturing those in-between moments rather than posing.

You can always count on me to redirect moments into prompts that will leave you with beautiful fun family photos.

Plan for a treat after your session

Plan to go out for a sweet treat after your session. This is something I have seen clients do; however, I have learned what makes or breaks this trick. Use this as a source of motivation. For example, during the session, remind them that you’re getting ice cream after the pictures! You can say something like, “Isn’t this so much fun? And we get to get ice cream after this too!”. This usually gets the kids so excited and ready for more smiles.
What I would avoid when doing this is using it as a threat. Avoid saying things like, “If you don’t smile, you are not going to get ice cream.” Focus on giving your kids something to look forward to. It’s just a great way to end the night after taking some fun family photos.

Dress for the weather

Last but not least, dressing warm is key to keeping your kids happy. Something that parents miss when planning their outfit is taking the weather into account, especially during the fall season. When planning your session clothing, I would recommend focusing on layering your kids’ clothes. This helps keep your kids warm, but also gives us the opportunity to dress down if it ends up getting too warm.

If you’d like some help planning your session outfits, your session includes a complimentary styling guidance call. Read more about what your session includes on my Family service page.

In the end, family sessions are meant to be fun. By trusting me to guide your session to feel natural, you will have a great time with your family. When you hire me, your kids are allowed to be kids during your session. I do this by giving them time to warm up to me and allow them to be crazy and silly. Dressing them warm, and maybe offering a little ice cream incentive, can go a long way as well. By following these 5 tips, I can guarantee your session will feel stress-free, making for fun family photos.