You can plan your outfits, and give me a list of shots you want to get from your session… but when the time comes to look at the images from your family photo shoot, chances are that your favorites are going to be the moments that show your family interacting naturally. Kids running, babies whining, siblings scuffling… Well, I know these are typically my favorites! One of the reasons I love shooting outdoors is the way it lends itself to forgetting that the camera is there. Suddenly when the pose is over, the kids and parents act the way they “normally” do, and that’s when we get the great shots. A new location with fun stuff to interact with and explore make these moments happen organically and easily.
Take this family’s session at Hillbrook Club. This is a family that I’ve photographed for years, so the kids are great listeners, smile naturally when the camera’s on them, and are a real pleasure to photograph… but what I as a photographer want to make sure I avoid is shots that are redundant from year to year… They got their updated family and solo picks for the holiday card, but I wanted to make sure they had a bunch of unique shots that really captured who the kids were at this age, and what the family dynamics looked like. We ran on the lawn, splashed in the creek, and climbed on the stone walls… all in all a fun time that produced some messy & wet clothes, and some really special photographs.
