I am the lucky documentarian of this family’s growth over the past few years. I've had the opportunity to capture welcome home shots for both older brothers. So the introduction of Baby A to their comfy south shore home was a big deal for the boys and their parents. They were so excited and full of energy!
In shoots like these one needs to come prepared and ready for a limited amount of focus. Even if you’re planning to spend 2-4 hours with a family you’ve really only got a short window to harness the energy of young kids. These two were a dream for about 45 minutes and real troopers there after as we coaxed them into smiling. It was such a fun shoot - one where we as a group managed to pull off some very good photographs.
Photoshoots can be quite stressful for parents. You’re probably operating on limited sleep - and maybe your kids are too - and you’ve got to organize your crew for what can be a decent investment. So here are some of my tips to prepare for the event.
Get some rest if at all possible
Pick simple and uniform colors
If at home - think ahead for the best lighting - time of day and rooms - natural light makes such a huge impact on the quality of photos
Find yourself a photographer who is willing to be flexible. If you’ve not slept, the kids haven’t slept - maybe its best to postpone a few days.
If you have specific ideas in mind be prepared to share them with your photographer proactively - what images come to mind? Remember this is your memory - trust your photographer but don’t hold back if you have specific images in mind. Be prepared to describe them so your photographer can experiment with you.
Have an experimental mindset - it may take a few tries to get the right shots, lighting, mood etc. Its often good to slow things down and enable everyone to regroup.
Most of all - have fun - easier said than done but its so valuable to have the right mindset on photoshoot day. There’s simply no guarantee that everyone and everything will go as planned. But that’s why I’m here.
My job as the photographer is to bring a calming structure to helping you achieve your photo goals. You’re hiring experience and quality. To that end I like to come prepared, flexible in terms of approach and experience to help you to achieve a great memories. I find its really important to engage the kids where they are and find opportunities to capture them at their best through a fun and engaging approach. Heck if I have to roll around the floor so be it! :). At a point or two through this shoot things definitely got a bit unwieldy with a 3 week old, a 2 year old and a 3 year old. But we made it happen. It was so fun - and the results were fantastic.